William H. Calvert (1936-2021)

CALVERT

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 9/23/2021 at 21:30:56

William H. “Bill” Calvert, of Galena, IL passed away peacefully on September 23, 2021, at Bell Tower Senior Living, East Dubuque, IL at the age of 85 after a long illness. A gathering will be held from 5 to 7 PM, Wednesday, September 29, 2021, at the Furlong Funeral Chapel, Galena, where military honors will be accorded at 7 PM by Galena VFW Post #2665 and American Legion Post #193. Private family burial will be at Benton United Methodist Cemetery. Cremation rites have been accorded. He was born on April 12, 1936, in Hazel Green, WI the son of William and Alice Calvert. After high school, in August 1954, Bill joined the Taliesin Fellowship to study architecture and the arts with Frank Lloyd Wright. He participated fully in the architectural program there for 6 years and became a staff member. While there he worked on the Guggenheim Museum drawings, a studio for Clare Booth Luce, a model of Marin County Civic Center, and a myriad of other assignments, including electrical work and theatre lighting. Bill was drafted in January 1961, during which time he became an artillery surveyor and instructor. He left the Army and returned to Taliesin December 1962 as a staff architect. Circa 1964 Bill moved to San Francisco, CA obtained his architectural license, and worked for Leroy Daley Company, a large A&E firm doing mechanical equipment surveys. In 1966 he was sent to Brazil to be a field engineer in Fortaleza and there he met his wife-to-be, Regina. They married in December of 1989 in Fortaleza. Returning to San Francisco in 1968 Bill worked on small design and remodel jobs and then became construction supervisor of the San Francisco Airport. Later he worked at a NASA facility at Moffett Field for a full-scale wind tunnel project. Bill returned to the Midwest with his wife and daughter Helena, wherein Galena, he opened, owned, and operated the Isabella Imports coffee roasting business for over 20 years, up until the diagnosis of his illness. Bill’s own life journey was remarkable. He was deeply interested in philosophy and world religions as well as the study of UFOs. He had a great sense of humor. Everyone was enriched in their own lives from having known him. Bill enjoyed singing on Sundays with Grace Episcopal Church choir group where he was a member, reminiscing daily with coffee friends at Isabella Imports, and was extremely proud of his daughter and grandson. He will be greatly missed by family and friends. Bill is survived by his daughter, Helena(Jared Oster) Calvert, grandson Cole Buman and his many cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and brother Steven Calvert. We wish to give a special thanks to the wonderful nurses and staff at Hospice of Dubuque, Bell Tower Senior Living of East Dubuque, Iowa City Veterans Hospital, and Finley Hospital for the exceptional care provided to help him transition peacefully. We would also like to thank Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Furlong Funeral Chapel, and Grace Episcopal Church, and our family and friends for the love and support. We are forever grateful!