Dr. Jack R. Caldwell, O.D. ended his earthly journey and embarked on his eternal adventure when he passed away quietly in his sleep November 25, 2009 at home in Las Cruces, NM. He was 86 years old. He is survived by his family who loved him dearly₦. his wife Margaret, children David Caldwell and his wife Ellen, Susan McCracken and her husband Kurt, Chris Keiper and her husband Tim and six grandchildren: Isaac, Jenna, Amy, Leah, Matthew and Kelly. After 33 dedicated years as an optometrist in Ft. Morgan, CO and the following years volunteering in Tiburon, CA, Austin TX, and Columbia MO, he and Margaret moved to Las Cruces. Jack loved the beauty and warmth of the desert climate and their community of friends and acquaintances. Here is a summary of his life in his own words. On January 7, 1923 I was blessed to be born to loving parents, Ben Ruff and Oma Caldwell in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. I had one older brother, Ben Robert Caldwell. Cape Girardeau was an ideal small city in which to be raised in spite of the depression. All of us worked hard to make ends meet, but in retrospect, that proved to be excellent training for life. I was a freshman in college when we entered WWll. In the fall of 1942 I volunteered for pilot training in the Army Air Corps. I received my silver wings in March of 1944 and was assigned to B-24 bomber instruction. After completing that training I was assigned to instructing in the training command in Fort Myers, Florida. Following the war I returned to college at the Southeast Missouri State University to complete the requirements needed for admission to the Illinois College Of Optometry. Upon receiving my license to practice Optometry, I settled in Denver, Colorado where I met my future wife, Margaret, a teacher from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After I proposed numerous times and promised to mend my errant ways, finally, against her better judgment, she agreed to marry me. We purchased a practice in Ft. Morgan, Colorado where we lived for thirty years and raised our three children, David, Susan, and Christine. Our family attended the Methodist Church in Fort Morgan. I was a long time member of the Lions Club and served as it's President. Since leaving Colorado we have attended Unity Churches. Religion and spiritual interests have been important in my life. College and job opportunities took all three of our children out of state, so, after retirement, Margaret and I decided to move closer to our son and his wife in Santa Fe and enjoy the wonderful climate in Las Cruces as well as the good life at University Terrace Good Samaritan Village. Memorial Services will be held at Good Samaritan Village, 2975 Terrace Dr. in Las Cruces, NM at 6:00pm, Saturday, November 28, 2009. There will be an internment of his ashes at Fort Logan Military Cemetery in Denver CO at an undetermined later date. PDF Printable Version
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