Frank Anthony Calder

When thinking about how to write this obituary, I started thinking about the things that people would remember about me. I realized that there are so many details that don't get mentioned about a person. When going through my father's things, I found ticket stubs from places where he had been. I found his brass whistle from when he was a Life guard at Colony Beach. I found his pins from when he was on his high school wrestling team. There are so many details about a person that, after they pass on, never get mentioned. Frank Anthony Calder (Calderola), September 3, 1939 - December 11, 2017, son of Ann and Frank Calderola of Ansonia, Connecticut. Raised in a Catholic and Italian cultural influence. He was also older brother to Joyce Soder (Calderola). Attended Catholic schools and graduated from Notre Dame High School of West Haven, CT and University of Connecticut with a Bachelor degree in Industrial Psychology. While at Notre Dame, participated in extra curricular sports activities such as Wrestling and Ice Hockey. Worked as a Lifeguard seasonally at Colony Park. Inducted into Fraternity… Started racing motorcycles professionally in the early 1960's. … Frank A. Calder June 19, 1965 • • This photo was taken @ last corner at finish line of Bryars Motorsports Track, Louden, NH, June 19, 1965. Saturday's 50 mile Amateur race during Laconia motorcycle week. - in Louden NH Frank met Linda Dorion and was married on November 4, 1961. Linda said that she used to see Frank at Indian Wells beach and at local block parties on Bank Street in Seymour. Frank was attending college at the Storrs location of University of Connecticut - (UCONN). Linda had just graduated high school and worked as a Bookkeeper at Seymour Trust Bank. Linda was a very quiet 5 ft. 2 inches tall young lady and Frank was a more outgoing 6ft tall guy with a passion for high speed racing. Worked at Hershey Medals, Inc. as a Personnel Supervisor and raced motorcycles whenever possible. In November 1964 his daughter (me - Michele Ann Calder Teller) & first child was born. Dad always liked testing my math skills and taught me many things. He taught me and all of the neighborhood kids how to play Chess. He used to love having philosophical discussions with his sister and later, when I was in High School, we had philosophical discussions. I recall us discussing a paper dad wrote in College about how our material body shapes us through pleasure & pain. I guess that his soul is now energy that has become apart of Brahma/ the Over sole as dad no-longer feels the pain and he is finally at peace. I also used to sit with dad for hours while he worked on his motorcycles. I remember him disassembling a Harley engine and I also remember him installing spikes on his tires in preparation of an Ice Racing event. In October of 1970, Frank had a new son, Gary Clinton Calder. Frank used to take Gary out for rides with him on the motorcycle like he did with me. I recall many weekends of hanging onto the gas tank of the motorcycle as we wrote wooded trails throughout Connecticut. In 1973 Honda came out with a tiny motorcycle, -the Honda MR 50cc, dirt bike and this was my greatest Christmas gift. Dad took me riding with him just about every weekend for years. Dad taught me how to tackle hill climbs and how to ride in the sand pits. He used to say get a good run and kick it into 2nd or 3rd and get up on the pegs over the tank. When Gary turned 4 years old, Frank got Gary a 50cc Indian motorcycle with training wheels on it. Everyone in our family has been on a motorcycle, at least once per his tenacity. Frank even attempted to give his father, Frank senior, a riding lesson during an Independence day cook out. That was when grandpa popped a wheelie through the badminton net across the yard. Frank loved motorcycles so much that most of the family vacations included motorcycles and we spent a number of annual June vacations in Laconia, New Hampshire, where you could see a number of motorcycles parked along Wiers Valley for miles during cycle week. In the evolution of computers, Frank started working as a Computer Systems Programmer/Analyst for Uniroyal and was there for about 18 years. When Frank (dad) worked weekends, he often take me to work with him. It was always fun to go to work with him because he would sit me at a computer card key punch machine and I would spend hours punching holes. Then he would take me to the card reader/sorter and I would watch the cards dropping into different pockets. Then dad would give me money for the coffee machine. I used to love the cup drop down and fill with coffee, cream & sugar. For snack time, dad had canned cheese and crackers in his desk. I loved spraying cheese onto crackers and later I would later regret all of those crackers when coming home with a belly ache. Frank was a first generation Treky, Star Trek, before Jon Luke Picard. He was a computer nerd before it became fashionable to be a computer nerd; and he did enjoy Star Trek, when Captain Kurk was the captain. Dad continued to grow his career at ITT and his assignments included international travel. He traveled to Belgium a number of times; and later, he formed his own company, Unitech Software. In later years, he worked with Karen Robert's at Duracell. Frank finished out his career and transitioned into retirement earlier than most. He struggled silently with cancer and very often tried to shield Linda from his health problems. Dad had taught me, his daughter, that I could do the same job as any man. Dad always instilled in me, that I could do anything. In times when I felt that my life was at it's worst point, dad would always encourage me. Frank became a caregiver to both his mother and his father. Frank took care of his difficult-to-care-for father for a number of years. Frank and Linda visited the Florida Keys three times. He and Linda celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary visiting me in Key West only 2 weeks after hurricane Wilma in 2005. Frank and Linda set Sail on the Western Union and drank beer and pink Champaign and sipped couch chowder while listening to the Irish sailing music on a harp type instrument. Frank & Linda visited the Hemingway house, Mel Fischer museum, Smoky Joes, the Key West Tower and Frank liked hanging out on the Turtle Crawls watching the tall ships. Mom and dad brought me some items to replace things that I lost during the hurricane. Frank & Linda's second trip to the Keys was to Marathon, Florida. They stayed at Crystal Bay resort which was on the other side of the fence from where I lived. Mom & Dad drove to Key West. Dad wore shorts at the resort pool for the first time in 20 or 30 years. Dad enjoyed eating at Burdines. The next visit to the Keys was to celebrate Frank & Linda's 50th Wedding Anniversary when they renewed their vows on the Sirius Catamaran Sunset Cruise in Marathon Florida. The dolphins even came by to celebrate as they jumped through the air and swam along the boat. Frank and Linda also spent time with the family in Townsend, TN where Frank road the Dragon with his grandson, Robert Teller, for the first time. Robert (Rob) said that it was an honor to ride with his grandfather. As the years passed and as Frank endured the harsh Connecticut winters while on dialysis, he became weaker. He told me, in a phone conversation, that, as long as he could still ride his motorcycle, he was okay. I guess that we always thought that Frank would pass on while riding his motorcycle. I last talked with dad on Sunday, December 10th, while he was in the hospital. Usually, he told me that he wasn't doing well; but, this conversation was different. This time dad told me that he was feeling much better. Dad told me that he was only going to be in the hospital for a few days. The next morning, I was surprised to learn that dad had passed away. I would like to think now, that he is riding his favorite motorcycle, while keeping an eye over us. We are going to miss him. We are already missing him…. Friends and relatives may call at the Miller-Ward Funeral Home, 260 Bank Street (Rt. 67, across from Klarides Village) Seymour on Saturday, December 16, 2017 from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm. Interment will be held at the convenience of the family. Memorial donations in memory of Frank may be made to the Pathfinders Motorcycle Club of CT, 147 Freeman Rd., Oxford, CT 06478 (Attn: Fred McGuire) (www.pathfindersmc.org) or Connecticut Blue Knights Motorcycle Club 265-283 West Main St., Waterbury, CT 06702-1101. To light a virtual candle and leave online condolences please visit www.millerwardfuneralhome.com Cemetery Details Private Previous Events Visitation DEC 16. 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (ET) Miller-Ward Funeral Home 260 Bank Street Seymour, CT 06483 Funeral Service DEC 16. 12:45 PM (ET) Miller-Ward Funeral Home 260 Bank Street (RT 67, across from Klarides Village) Seymour, CT 06483 https://www.millerwardfuneralhome.com