David Mark Callanan
April 25, 1936 ~ May 25, 2015
David Mark Callanan, 79, of Marion, died peacefully surrounded by family and friends on May 25, 2015, after a courageous battle with cancer. Funeral Mass: 9 a.m. Friday, May 29, 2015, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Cedar Rapids, by Rev. Christopher Podhajsky. Visitation 5-8 p.m. Thursday at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar Rapids, with a vigil service at 7 p.m. Burial at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Cedar Rapids.
David was born on April 25, 1936, in Comfrey, Minnesota, to parents William and Mary (Wendland) Callanan. He was a hard worker, working at Rockwell Collins for 37 years. David's strong Catholic faith was most important to him'he rarely missed Mass. He was also a proud family man, raising 8 children and instilling his strong Catholic faith in them.
He was very active, belonging to The Jungle Fighters, gardening an acre-sized garden, hunting, fishing, peeling potatoes for church, baking pies'even creating a template for cutting the perfect piece of pie, and participating in St. Patrick's Day events.
David is survived by his children, Michael (Kimberly) Callanan of Cedar Rapids, Stephen (Lynne) Callanan of Shellsburg, Catherine (Terry) Sindelar, Gregory (Theresa) Callanan, Susan Callanan, Brian Callanan, and Patrick (Kara) Callanan, all of Cedar Rapids; 14 grandchildren; many great-grandchildren; brother, Doug (Jodi) Callanan; and sisters, Carol (Merlin) Dahl, and Connie (Dave) Johnson.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Dorothy in 1992, second wife Berniece in 2009, brother Danny, and son, Mark.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, or Hospice of Mercy.
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It was always a joy to see your dad. We had many interesting chats – usually at Immaculate Conception Church. Your dad was a holy man and we pray that he is now enjoying the Fruits of his Faith and love for God and His Church in Our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom. Our sympathy and love to all David’s precious family. May God Bless you all.
I am very sad to hear of Dave’s passing. My sympathies to all the Callanans. I have fond memories of time spent with him whether in Comfrey, Cedar Rapids, or here in St. Louis Park when he was visiting Danny. May he rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon him.
Catherine Callanan Magnuson
To Sue and Cathy and the entire Callanan family we would like to express our heartfelt sympathy in the loss of your loved one, Dave. May God’s loving arms surround you and give you the peace and understanding as only God’s can do. We have fond memories of Dave being our neighbor on Esmann Island. Our thoughts and prayers are with your families.
Manuel Lara
Dave was the practical joker in the department, and would always find some way to lighten up the area. I liked playing practical jokes myself and gave as many as I got. Like the saying goes, “If you can’t take it, then you shouldn’t dish it out.”
I was seated at one corner of the drafting bay nearest one of two phones. One phone was placed on a corner of my credenza directly behind me. The other phone was on the opposite corner of the bay. The novelty of having the phone near me quickly wore off however. The down side was, you had to answer the phone whenever someone else was getting a call as well.
One day I was drawing up a bright yellow aluminum case that had eight Vail type spring latches on the lid to keep it tight. As I returned from my break I sat down to quickly get back to work. There was no goofing off in those days, well, maybe a little. The phone behind me rang and I turned around to answer it, but it was not there.
However, I could see the phone cord leading to the bright yellow aluminum case. The bright yellow case was ringing and as I looked up I could see that everyone was looking back at me. Dave was at the other phone with a big chasseur cat grin on his face. Laboriously, I detached all eight latches as the phone persistently kept ringing. Upon releasing the final latch I lifted the lid and picked up the phone, but the darn thing kept ringing. Dave had taped down the receivers as well. I quickly peeled off the tape and was about to give Dave a piece of my mind, when I heard the dial tone as he hung up.
CATHY, TERRY AND ALL THE FAMILY,
AT A TIME LIKE THIS IT’S HARD TO FIND THE RIGHT WORDS OF COMFORT. I ONLY HOPE THAT KNOWING OTHERS CARE IS OF COMFORT IN YOUR TIME OF SORROW. MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
TOM MURPHY
To the whole Callanan family I am so sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you, especially Amber, Tom, and Matt. Love you all!
so sorry to hear about dave he was a special person. he and vern did some trout fishing together and we spent many hours at the bowling ally and just hanging out with him and Bernie. he had a laugh and smile you could never forget. We will miss him and may you rest in peace dave.
Our thoughts and prayers are with each and everyone of you. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to have been part of some wonderful memories shared with your family. I hold you all dear to my heart.
Sue and Brian just wanted to let you know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. We know how hard it is to lose a parent, just remember all the blessed memories you had with each other and take one day at a time. Love you both.
On behalf of the Martinez Family, please accept our heartfelt thoughts and prayers for the loss of your dad. God bless him and all of you.
Sincerely
Omar Martinez and Family