Obituary of Ramon Joseph Calderaro

November 10, 1940 - October 31, 2023

Ramon “Ray” Joseph Calderaro, age 82, of San Carlos, California, died in his second home, fondly known as “the cabin,” in Ben Lomond on October 31, 2023.

Ray was born in San Francisco in 1940 to Elizabeth and Joseph Calderaro, and was the eldest of four children. He graduated from Archbishop Riordan High School in 1958 during which time he earned his Eagle Scout. Ray entered the Air Force shortly after graduation and served four (4) years, part of that time was spent in Seoul, Korea where he and others built an orphanage. Upon his return home he entered City College of San Francisco and earned an Associate degree.  Ray secured employment at IBM shortly thereafter.  He worked for IBM for 35 years as a field engineer specialist working specifically on the 3890 check processors. On July 31, 1965, he and his loving wife Cecilia were married. During their 58 years of marriage they raised four children in Pacifica, CA.   

Ray was a jack of all trades. There was no home improvement task too difficult for him to complete. His work with copper pipe and cinderblocks is legendary. He was also an excellent mechanic of VW bugs and taught his sons to build an engine from the ground up. His generosity was boundless. He was quick to lend a helping hand to those in need. Although Ray was not one to toot his own horn, he wasn’t shy imparting his expertise at playing the card game Pedro. He could be found most Wednesday mornings playing Pedro with his wife and brothers, often sharing his superiority during the post-hand analysis. Ray also enjoyed a good chess game, classic movies, and listened to an eclectic mix of music. He passionately taught his children, and anyone else who was interested, what he knew about money management, home improvement projects, math, chess, mechanics, and electronics.  His patience while teaching was endless.  

He is survived by wife Cecilia, his siblings Joe Calderaro, Lauren Harms, and Michael Calderaro; his children, Kenneth Calderaro, Katherine Schembri, and Kimberly Calderaro and their spouses.  His eight grandchildren KC, Emily, Noah, Benjamin, Daniel, Sarah, Abigail and Elias never ceased to bring him joy. Ray was preceded in death by his oldest son, Robert Calderaro.

The  Funeral Mass will be held at St. Matthias Catholic Church

1685 Cordilleras Rd, Redwood City, CA 94062

Saturday, November 11th at 11:00 am.  A lunch reception will follow in the church hall.