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<p><em>Joseph Daniel “Joe” Cavolick</em> was born in New York; his family moved to Reno, NV when he was 2. He was very active in Boy Scouts and on the high school football team. </p>
<p>As a cadet, Joe participated in gymnastics and the French Club. A classmate said: “I roomed with Joe for the first semester senior year. We were opposites! He was a perfect cadet while I had some short comings. He was a battalion commander and lived the part: precise, organized and very polite.”</p>
<p>Following graduation and assignment to the Field Artillery, Joe served with 4-18 Arty, Germany (1966-68); 34th Arty, 9ID, RVN, (1968-69); and S&F, FAS (1969-71). During RVN service he received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal. He also received the Ranger Tab and Parachutist Badge. A classmate stated: “Joe and I served together as artilleryman with the 9th Division in the Mekong Delta. Joe was wounded when his battery was attacked, and he was awarded the Silver Star for his actions in that battle.”</p>
<p>Joe married Barbara Kitlas at West Point in June 1966. They had two children. Son Steve has been married for 24 years to Marybeth Moynahan Cavolick. Their one daughter, Meghan, made her grandfather proud. Steve helps run the big data and analytics practice at Levi, Ray, & Shoup. Daughter Kristin earned her undergraduate degrees in Spanish and secondary education from the Universidad Complutenese de Madrid and Indiana University. She later earned her master’s degree in curriculum, instruction and supervision from Butler University. She has dedicated her career to educating our next generations, teaching Spanish, and now working in school administration. Dr. Ana Eng was Joe’s loving companion for over 10 years until his death.</p>
<p>Joe separated from the Army in 1971 and began work for Pfizer, then Northrop, followed by becoming a partner at Kahn Realty Co. and then, in 1997, owner and president of Cavolick Consulting Group until his death. He achieved a master’s degree from Northwestern University in 2002, a certification from the University of Chicago in e-business strategy, and another in complex project management from MIT. </p>
<p>Joe was a dedicated dad and grandfather. He stopped work to help kids with homework or listen to practice speeches for his children’s school presentations. He attended every soccer game, gymnastics and track meet, play, dance recital, and football game cheered by his daughter or granddaughter. He participated in many service organizations: Northbrook Rotary Club, West Point Society, and president of the North Shore Board of Realtors. One classmate remarked: “I met him in the 90s when he was in real estate. I was job hunting and in between jobs. Joe was very compassionate, understanding, and helpful with networking leads he shared his vast network in the Chicago area. He was especially devoted to West Point and always helped classmates and was a good friend.”</p>
<p>Joe was extremely organized and had a file folder for everything. When cleaning out his office after his passing, his kids found folders labeled with things such as “Calls Made from Car” and a note card in his dresser that tracked when business suits were worn and dry cleaned. Joe was an exceptional grandfather. When he learned Marybeth was pregnant with Meghan, he bought Disney classic movies to watch with Meghan as she matured. He was her best Girl Scout cookie customer, and, when he joined the family in Florida for Meghan’s first trip to Disney World, he met them in the airport wearing a pink princess hat he gave to her.</p>
<p>His sister Carole commented: “When he was about six, he sold soap for a commission from a wagon he pulled around the neighborhood. He also sold Christmas cards. He was an entrepreneur even at that young age and always had a job, such as delivering newspaper, doing neighborhood yard work, and collecting pop bottles for redemption. He was always working and paying his own way. Once our mother washed his white football practice uniform with a red rug! He never complained...just donned the pink uniform and showed up at practice...of course to a chorus of jibes! Luckily his game uniform was untouched. When he was about 8, he hand-raised the pet chickens given to him as chicks by a neighbor. He intended to provide eggs for the family, but neighborhood dogs broke into his hand-made coop and ate them. Always the entrepreneur and provider! One of my most prized possessions were the undies he sent me from West Point that said ‘Beat Navy’ on the bottom. I wore them proudly all through high school! I adored my brother and even though I gave him grief often, know our love was mutual. There will never be an equal to Joseph Daniel Cavolick.”</p>
<p>Joe was a natural leader who believed in action and service to others, often talking about leaving something better than you found it, and his deeds reinforced that ideal. Whether seeing a car accident and directing traffic until police arrived or taking a leadership role in a new organization to deter teenage substance abuse when no one else would, Joe was always the first person to get involved, set a goal, and determine the path to success. He also stressed being a well-rounded person and encouraged everyone around him to try new things, and to be accepting of different ideas and points-of-view. When his family recalls their lives with Joe, they think of the generous, driven, kind father and grandfather he was and know that his examples left everyone around him a better person. </p>
<p><em>— Classmate and friend Joel Gartenberg</em></p>
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