Carlos 'Charlie' Robert Cavanagh

Charlie Cavanagh, 88, of Centennial, passed away January 5, 2012. Charlie was preceded in death by his parents Charles and Catherine Cavanagh and sister Geraldine. He is survived by his wife Betty; children Colleen ""Heather"" (Tom) Luehrs, Sean Cavanagh, Michael (Mary) Cavanagh and Megan (Mike) Cavanagh; grandchildren Marina, Faith, Joe, Maggie, Mattie and Jack; and his sister Pat. A Memorial Service will be held Thursday, January 12, 2012, at 5:00 P.M., at Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 5303 East County Line Road (one block to the west of South Holly Street), in Centennial, Colorado. Our Dad had a full, interesting and in many ways most incredible life. Born in Manila, the Philippines, his father, Charles Cavanagh, was a ship smith, or a ""Master Mechanic,"" as the title was termed. Dad was born at the U.S. Naval base at Cavite Island and was raised in a world of intermingled nationalities and cultures where no group was in the majority. This environment freed him from the cultural and racial prejudices that seem to arise from being raised in a secluded, all-white society. Family vacations were often spent taking voyages to Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Peking, as Beijing was known then. When Dad was 12 years old, in 1935, his Dad was transferred to the Pearl Harbor Naval Yard where he managed the Forge and Galvanizing Shop. Dad enjoyed his life in Hawaii, where he attended ""St. Louis College,"" a Catholic high school. Following December 7, 1941, Dad graduated high school and enlisted as a photographer's mate with the navy (a Seabee battalion attached to the Third Marine Division). He served in the central and south Pacific, where he fought in the battles of Guam and Iwo Jima, involved in fierce, sometimes face-to-face combat. Examples of his duties included leaning over the edge of an open-cockpit airplane, snapping pictures of enemy installations and troop formations. He also shot movie reels. The John Wayne film ""The Sands of Iwo Jima"" included actual footage that Dad had taken of the battle. After the war, Dad graduated from San Jose State College and then earned a Master of City Planning degree at the University of California at Berkeley. His career started as Planning Director in Bakersfield and Santa Cruz, California. We then moved to Palo Alto, California in 1958 where Dad was the Manager of the Western Region branch, in downtown San Francisco, for EBASCO Services, a large international electric utility and construction company. The family then moved to Denver, Colorado in 1970 where he was Vice President for the URS/Ken R. White Company, an engineering company. Finally, in 1973 Dad went to work for the Stone & Webster Engineering Firm where he worked until his retirement in 1984. Dad's career was characterized by high-profile projects that brought him great satisfaction. Examples include an initial feasibility study for the New Orleans Superdome, writing master plans for cities along the San Francisco Peninsula and Spokane, Washington, and designing the base area for the Steamboat Springs Ski Area. He enjoyed the varied nature of his work. Dad enjoyed a very active social life. Mom and Dad had a wide circle of friends and attended some type of social gathering every weekend. We children look back with awe at the frequency of our parents' partying. Emblematic of their generation, they worked hard and played just as hard. Dad also enjoyed golf with family and friends. Some of our best memories are of playing golf with Mom and Dad. We will miss our Dad terribly, comforted by treasured memories and the knowledge that he is at peace. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Charlie's name to the St. Francis Center, 2323 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80205; or online at www.sfcdenver.org. Please share your memories of Charlie and condolences with his family by signing the guestbook.