Dante Caldera

Dante J. Caldera, 101, of Inverness, FL died on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 at Citrus Memorial Hospital in Inverness, FL.  Dante was born on March 23, 1916 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, NY, son of Italian immigrants, Peter and Josephine Caldera.  After graduation from NYU, he worked for the Army Corp of Engineers in 1940.  In 1951 he became a civil engineer, working in Africa, Spain, Germany, England, Italy, South America and throughout the United States.  He was part of the team that designed and built Madison Square Garden.  He moved from Manhattan to Westchester County, then to Citrus County in 1993.  When he retired in 1985, he volunteered for eight years at the hospital in Westchester County then after moving to Inverness, volunteered at Citrus Memorial Hospital.

At a special banquet in June of 2016, Dante was honored with the Service to Mankind Award for his 20 years of dedication as a volunteer at Citrus Memorial Hospital.  He went on to compete against all the Sertoma Clubs in the Florida Caribbean Region, and he was recognized a second time.  Dante was a member of Annunciation Church in Westchester County and sang in the choir.  He was a member of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church where he served as a Eucharistic Minister since 1995.  Dante was a member of the Knights of Columbus for 56 years and was a 4 ^th Degree Knight.  He was a member of the Fort Cooper State Park since 1995.  Dante enjoyed cooking which he attributed to his father being a chef and his grandfather, a baker.  His specialties were osso buco, lasagna, and Italian risotto.  Dante was into nature photography.  He also loved to organize and save family and interesting photos that he loved to share with family and friends.  Dante had an article written about his life in the Citrus Chronicle when he turned 100 in which he stated that he didn’t think of himself as old and that age was just a number.  Best of all, he was the best dad and just an inspirational sincere person blessed by God.  Mr. Caldera is preceded in death by his first wife, Teresa, his second wife, Dorothy, and his brother, Evo Caldera.  Survivors include his daughter, Deborah Caviria of Inverness, FL; his son, Donald J. Caldera of Greenwell Springs, LA; three grandchildren, Donald J. Caldera, II, Dante Caldera, and Jacqueline Gaviria; nephew, Richard J. Caldera; the Sullivan Family; and longtime neighbors and dear friends, Joseph, Anne, and Joanne Furgiuele.

The family of Mr. Caldera will receive friends from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a rosary by the Knights of Columbus at 3:30 p.m. and a vigil service to begin at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 5, 2018 at Heinz Funeral Home.  A funeral mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 6, 2018 at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church.  Interment will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Valhalla, NY at a later date.  Heinz Funeral Home & Cremation, Inverness, FL. heinzfh.com