Donald Owen Caddy, 97, passed from this life on January 3, 2024, of complications due to age.
Don was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on July 7th 1926, the son of Alfred and Amy Barrus Caddy. He attended Granite High School graduating in 1944. Joining the Navy that same year he served in the South Pacific on the island of Guam. When the war ended, Don stayed in Guam working in naval supply until his discharge in 1946.
Throughout Don's life he was an avid fisherman and hunter. He bowled in leagues for 50 years and was a champion poker player. He always said he learned math from card games while crossing the ocean to and from Guam. He was active into his 90's, and looked forward to his weekly Friday Wendover trip to play poker, and entertaining family and friends with his many life stories.
He was also an accomplished pianist along with brother Duane. They played together on a radio show and in church. Asked to play prelude music they very enthusiastically performed their rendition of Hungarian Rapsody, and while the Bishop found it to be a beautiful performance he thought it a bit boisterous for church.
Don worked for Salt Lake Flour Mills and retired after 38 years.
In 2015 Don participated in the WWII veterans Honor Flight to Washington DC accompanied by Sterling Purcell, a Vietnam Veteran. Don often remarked that the trip was his greatest adventure. He was proud to have served and always wore his WWIl Veterans ball cap.
Don is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Duane, and long time partner Elaine Purcell.
He is survived by Sterling Purcell and Malcolm [Kris] Purcell, Elaines sons but to whom he became a father, nephew Deon Caddy [Lisa], niece Kathleen Caddy Withy, grandchildren Timothy Purcell [Jessica], and Emily McLaughlin [Mark] and great grandchildren Jonathan Purcell, Jacob McLaughlin and Sophia McLaughlin.
Don and Elaine loved to dance and spent weekends dancing throughout the Salt Lake Valley.
We have loved and been honored to have Don as part of our family.
We would like to thank the wonderful staff at Chancellor Gardens in Clearfield who became his friends and extended family, and Thomas and his group from A-Plus Hospice who went above and beyond to care for Don. He loved each and every one of you. We are forever grateful.
Have fun dancing through the stars with Elaine, Don. We love you!
A graveside service will be held January 12, 2024 at 12:00pm at Elysian Burial Gardens, 1075 E 4580 S, Millcreek, UT.
We at Chancellor Gardens absolutely loved Don. He was a joy. And it was an honor to care for him. He will be missed especially on our men’s club out to lunch. Hopefully up in heaven, they have 16 inch pancakes that he can try to eat again.
I am so sorry for your loss. I loved Don and was very fortunate to get to know him better over the past 6 months working at Chancellor Gardens. He always made me smile, because of his big smile. I am sure he will enjoy playing poker in heaven.
Kris, Mal, and Sterling. Don was a character. I only really knew him a short bit but I really enjoyed the time I spent with him. The stories! What a life he must have had before he met Elaine and was in the Navy and then working in Guam! I’m sorry his life has ended but I’m sure he is dancing in Heaven with Elaine.
I admire the way you took such wonderful care of Don, especially Mal and Sterling taking him to Wendover almost every Friday just so he could play poker and gamble a little bit. He SO looked forward to those trips!
Mal, Kris, and Sterling, you are in my prayers.
Kris, Mal, Sterling and family,
Our deepest sympathy and prayers to you all at this time for your dear sweet friend and step Father. This is a hard time to let him go, but he is in heaven now dancing with his sweetheart Elaine. He lived a wonderful life and was loved by so many. His service to our country in the Navy was admirable. The opportunity to go with the WWII Veterans Honor Flight to Washington DC was an amazing adventure.
God bless you all at this sad time.
Love, Cherrie and Andy Burgess
I worked at Chancellor as a waitress and loved talking to Don. He told me he attributed his long life to having a positive attitude! And he was a very positive person and had some fun stories to tell! He liked to talk to anyone who would listen. He appreciated small things. I put sliced bananas on his Cheerios once and you’d think he’d won the lottery! What a great man he was.
My condolences to all of Dons family for the loss of a great man, Don will be missed by all who knew him, he will be especially missed by me, I will miss watching the Utah Jazz game with him, planning to take a trip to Wendover Utah for his Birthdays, to include putting on his music for him from way, way back in time. Don had a lot of stories he told me, he especially loved to brag about his nephew Deon, and always talked about how hard Chris works, the wonderful dinners Chris would make on the holidays, and all she did for him and the family, all the time Sterling took to help him out and made sure to get him to the bus every Friday for his Wendover trips, and lastly, how Mel and Sterling were driving him out each Friday so he could continue his Wendover trips and then he would tell me how well he did playing cards, being driven to Wendover Utah every Friday made Don feel very special and loved, thank you all, he loved you. Dons' passion was to "Celebrate Life" by having a great time always and being with family and friends, I will miss you "Caddy" R.I.P. your friend, Nancy.