Chester Ronald Cavinder, 78, of La Porte, Ind., passed away Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, at VNA Hospice Center of Valparaiso, Ind., after a long, hard battle with cancer.
He was born Dec. 16, 1942, in Kalamazoo, Mich., to Emery and Velma (Short) Cavinder.
Chester retired in 2004 after being a welder for 36 years at New York Blower, La Porte. He was an avid gardener who loved sharing what he grew. He was a dedicated family man, never missing a school, band, or sports event for his children. Chester loved spending time watching his grandchildren grow. He also loved talking to and spending time with his nephews. Above all, Chester loved life. He loved to travel to places like Vegas, Reno and North Carolina, and taking his girls to Disney World. Chester loved music, movies, history and watching documentaries. He was also a garage sale enthusiast.
Chester was extremely proud of his service with the U.S. Air Force, enlisting from 1959-1966. He loved telling the stories of his time spent stateside, in Hawaii and at Futchu Air Station in Japan.
On Nov. 2, 1968, in La Porte, he married Cynthia Francis, who survives. Chester and Cynthia spent 52 years of marriage together.
Also surviving Chester are 3 daughters, Sunshine (Jerry) Bell of La Porte, Dawna Cavinder of La Porte and Autumn (Tim) Dolson of Pendleton, Ind.; 3 grandchildren, Jacob Clark, Gillyanne Clark and Maggie Bell; 1 brother, Russ (Gail) Cavinder of New Carlisle, Ind.; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; 2 brothers, Wayne (Ruth) Cavinder and Donald Cavinder; and 1 sister, Jean (John) McCoy.
A Graveside Service will be held at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, at Pine Lake Cemetery, La Porte. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at Cutler Funeral Home and Cremation Center, La Porte.
Due to the recent governor’s order, anyone attending the visitation and/or service is required to wear a mask and practice social distancing of six feet. Also, we are limited to 25 people in the building at any given time. We kindly ask for your patience as we oversee these mandated guidelines.
Memorial donations may be made to the family c/o Cynthia Cavinder, 2900 Monroe St., La Porte, Ind. 46350, or to the donor’s choice.
Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP as well as at www.cutlercares.com.