Salvador Joseph (Joe) Caldaron, 99, of The Woodlands, TX, born March 9, 1921 in Indianapolis, IN to the late Vito and Ninfa (Pat) Caldarone (ne DeHilt).  Joe was an only child and raised by Pat and his late stepfather Bob DeHilt.  Joe passed away August 1, 2020.

Joe was a US Navy Veteran.  He served aboard the destroyer USS Clark as a Radioman during WWII and saw action in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.  After returning home, Joe joined the Mallory Corporation in Indianapolis.  Shortly thereafter Joe received a promotion and moved to Detroit as a sales representative for the Electronics Division.  Joe remained at Mallory for 45 years and retired in 1986.

Joe met his loving wife Martha of 61 years at Mallory when she was his secretary.  Joe and Martha's romance blossomed in the Detroit nightlife visiting clubs where they saw Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Frank Sinatra perform.  They loved Detroit.  Joe and Martha were married August 2, 1947 at Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Ecorse, MI.

As Joe and Martha started their life's journey, they enjoyed camping trips, beach vacations, and skiing in the mountains of Colorado with Martha's brothers and their children.   These family get togethers started traditions with aunts, uncles, and cousins which ballooned into lifelong reunions not to be missed.  Joe and Martha loved to travel, and their adventures led them from the California beaches to the Trevi Fountain in Rome.   Their family was widespread, and they took such joy in visiting friends and family while taking in the sights as they went.  They traveled the British Isles and even played golf at Saint Andrews in Scotland.  They visited most of the capitals of Europe with Joe speaking Italian with his "paisanos" in Rome.  Everyone he met was his friend.

Joe was an athlete for all seasons.  As a young man, attending Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, he was the star quarterback on the high school football team.  He said, "In my day we played with leather helmets with no face guards".  His adventurous spirit led him to an array of activities.  He snow skied in winter and water skied in summer, even skiing well into his 90's, prompting the Caldaron family motto "It's not dangerous, but it sure ain't safe".   He golfed, fished, boated, sailed, ran, and bowled.  A poker player, Joe never opened with anything less than a pair of jacks.  He said his longevity was due to having a Bud, and a slice of pepperoni and cheese for lunch every day.

Joe was a devout Catholic.  He never missed mass on Sunday, prayed the rosary, prayed for others, and believed in miracles.  Joe was an active member of the Church of the Divine Child Parish and a member of The Dad's Club.  All of Joe's children attended Divine Child School and High School.

Joe is survived by his 7 children, Paul (Karen) of Bend OR, Timothy (Lucinda) of Olympia WA, Michael of Carbondale CO, Marti (Ralph) of Madison AL, Mark (Jorge) of Oakland Park FL, Teresa (John) of The Woodlands TX, Marianne (Dan) of Dallas TX.

Joe and Martha were blessed with 9 Grandchildren, Quinn, (Linda) of Thousand Oaks CA, Victoria (Jason) of Little Elm TX, Ryan (Julia) of Huntsville AL, Christina (Cristina) of Bend OR, James (Jenna) of Woodberry Forest VA, Shannon (Andrew) of San Jose CA, Jack of Dallas TX, Gina of The Woodlands TX, Max of San Marcos, TX, and 12 Great Grandchildren.

A Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated at the Church of the Divine Child followed by Rite of Committal at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.  Attendance is limited to immediate family members due to Covid restrictions.

In lieu of flowers a donation can be made to the American Heart Association.

Santeiu Funeral Home is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Caldaron Service
Time: Aug 15, 2020 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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