Obituaries
Michael Cavaliere, Sr.
April 28, 1956 - December 22, 2021
- Funeral
- January 3, 2022 | 10:30 A.M.
-
St. Patrick Catholic Church
400 Cedar Street
St. Charles, Illinois 60174 -
Burial Location
Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois
THE JOYFUL LIFE OF MICHAEL CAVALIERE, SR. Michael Cavaliere, Sr. was born April 28th 1956 in Chicago, IL the youngest child of Dominick and Dorothy Cavaliere. He spent many happy years in Villa Park with his sister Linda, his brother Dominick and many cousins, aunts, and uncles. He had a very tight knit family and extended family and enjoyed many holidays at his parent’s house with large groups of family and friends. Every occasion was a joyous event that centered on, family, food, laughter, and faith. Christmas Eve, New Years Eve (His mother’s birthday was New Years Day), Easter, and Saint Joseph’s Day were the biggest days, although every birthday was celebrated in the same way, were filled with food cooked by his mother and aunts, his uncles laughing and playing card games, and the cousins enjoying playing together. When Michael was 17 he met a petite and quiet blond girl from Lombard named Lynn Saltsgaver. The two were inseparable from the moment they met. They were married October 26th 1974. In 1975 their first son, Michael, Jr. was born followed by a daughter, Nicole, and son, Chad. Michael was determined to foster the same joy for family, food, laughter, and faith that he had enjoyed growing up and believed was so important to realizing the meaning of earthly life. Michael, determined to provide for his family, took a job cleaning and cutting lawns for area businesses. He did not know at the time that the business he was working for would become Best Lawns, Inc. and that he would not only be the owner of this company, but also the heart and soul. Nothing gave him more joy than seeing his employees do well, buying their first homes, sending their children to college, and having enough money to retire. He was not an easy man all of the time as those that knew him knew he could have quite a temper, but he was always a fair and generous man. As his children took spouses, Joe, “Joe Roberts”, Katie, “Don’t mess with Koots”, and Leslie, “Little sweetheart”, his family grew larger as did his love for life. His family felt his generosity as well. He provided a beautiful life filled with food, laughter, and faith. He always stressed the importance of gratitude and humility. He prayed daily and taught his family the importance of faith and God, Truth, beauty, and justice. With the birth of his grandchildren, Thomas, Katelyn, Sophia, Liliana, and Michael, Michael began to develop a greater gratitude and love of his faith. With each blessing in life his faith began to grow. As he aged and with each milestone he was determined to have a better understanding of his faith. He began reading the great philosophers and Catholic thinkers. He started with G.K Chesterton, which for those of you who know anything about Chesterton, (and I’m sure you do because Michael was always talking about him), is not an easy writer to dissect. However, Michael was drawn to Chesterton and others, he was especially fond of the converts, (I’m sure his Protestant friends have also heard him discuss this) He loved that Chesterton’s best friend was George Bernard Shaw. He laughed at the fact that Shaw was an atheist and Chesterton a Catholic, but always understood how they could be such great friends. Although he could easily offend some, he embraced everyone, even those he disagreed with. He loved that Chesterton wrote about what was “essential”. When his family and friends would talk about current political, religious, or social issues, Michael would always say, “Chesterton wrote about that over a hundred years ago.” He understood that what is essential, Good, Just, and True never fades and that deep down we all know what those things are. He never let the mundane, boring, or monotony of life get him down, he knew that our time on earth is not forever and not the end, and because of his faith he was a true lover of life and he shared that joy throughout his life. “Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to:
EWTN Love and Understanding of God:
Or to The Society of G.K Chesterton:
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Condolences
Koots from Elburn , IL
"Love you Papa."
Steve and Stephanie Radez from Wayne, IL
"There are just no words for this, except we Are pretty sure, Mike, that you still lifting Big stones and putting in the middle of Driveways, in the middle of the night , and Laughing. We will always miss you and Remember the fun old days."
Jim and Pam Roark from Lenoir City , TN
"To a life well lived and a generous giving man. My pool pass forever cherished just like our friendship. You will be greatly missed by many. We love you dear friend!"
Laura from Pulio, IL
"For my dear cousin Michael. We’ll see you each spring, in every bud and bulb. Thank you for always being kind and interested. Thank you for loving Joe and Joanie the way you did. Thank you for your generosity and your wonderful giggle. Rest in joyful peace sweetheart. Until we meet again. LPC“Goodnight sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”William Shakespeare"
Kevin Brooks from Prospect Heights , IL
"I feel so honored that Michael shared a drink with me A week before Christmas after knowing Mike from the days of Barrington Lakes to the present at Rob Roy Mike was never a contractor to me he was always a friend."
Yvonne mattera from Helena, MT
"Micheal sweet Micheal, I have known Micheal since I was 15 yrs old in high school . I am close friends with his wife Lynn. Micheal was always happy and laughing . He called me Vonnie. Micheal was the kind of guy that was kind, loving and very overly protective over his family and friends. I really loved that about him. Micheal was always there when you needed him. There was alot of good times spent with him and his family through the years. When my husband Rick met Micheal he said Mike is truly a great guy. Micheal and Lynn stood up in our wedding , and we had many great times together then after. Times that Micheal will never be forgotten in my mind and heart. Micheal you will truly be missed. We will see you again one day. Love you, Yvonne"
Bobby K from Mchenry, IL
"First off whoever wrote the obituary I would like to say what a beautiful job. I have known Mike for many years and I can honestly say you always knew exactly how Mike felt about whatever subject you were discussing. I loved that about him. I will always cherish the memories I have had with Mike especially our Florida fishing trips. Three memories stand out. The first one is the largest fish I have ever seen and of course Mike was the one who caught it. The biggest Hammerhead shark. Based on how we mark it off on the boat it was a little over 16 feet. Mike was so exhausted but never gave up. It was really something to see. The other memory was also with Mike and Joey. Joey hooked a giant Tarpon about 6 feet and we chased it for a little over 5 miles. It was very hot that day the whole time you could hear Mike telling Joey YOU CAN DO THIS and Joey did finally land it over an hour later. I am sure that wasn’t any new (for any of his kids) to hear come out of Mikes mouth. The last part I remember about those trips was how many times a day he would call Lynn just to simple hi and I love you. Mike was a very special person and I will truly miss him but I thank god for the opportunity to have known him as long as I have, I only wish it could have been longer. Maybe now you will talk to the big guy and let me catch one of those sharksBobby"
Lillian Blankenburg from Palatine, IL
"I’ve known Mike since he was 17 years old and had hair when he started working for Best Lawns at the Trails. I learned to love him like a little brother and respected his work ethic. He loved his family and had a quick wit and curiosity. I will treasure my memories and miss him. My best wishes to Lynn and his family."
Craig Peterson from A lifetime, IL
"Mike, there are no words my friend. We spent young days hating each other and ready to fight at a glance. I still don’t know why. We became friends later and shared some great years and then life took over like it does and we lost touch. You were a big part of my life and you will be missed."
Ray Bosek "Roy" from New Smyrna Beach, FL
"Mr. Cavaliere was a great man, a man to look up to you, a role model for a loving, successful and complete life.He provided guidance and advice which not only help shape my life but insured a successful future. (Especially needed for us punks.) Thank you, Mr. Cavaliere.BTW. Last Time I saw Mike, I go "Hey, Mr. Cavaliere!", he goes "Roy, Roy call me Mike, you're an adult now". I said, "but you're Mr. Cavaliere, not Mike, it just doesn’t feel right, I have way too much respect for you to call you anything else!"Mr. Cavaliere, Mike, thank you for letting me know you and for being a great role model, thank you for all the life lessons you shared while I grew up, thank you for tolerating all mine (and our) immature antics, and thank you for nurturing all of us. You will be missed.My heart goes out to your family. Roy"
Pam Pobat from Prospect Heights, IL
"I just found out about Mike’s passing this morning and am so saddened. I had the pleasure of working with him here at Rob Roy for over 10 years. He was always there to help us out when asked with that warm smile. I am at a loss for words and express my deepest sympathy to his family and the Best Lawns’ family."
Richard Mattera from Helena, MT
"We, Rick and Yvonne Mattera, offer our sincere sympathy to the Cavaliere family and share your loss. I, Rick, would like to would to offer a eulogy here for Mike that shares my thoughts and memories of him. When I first met Mike and Lynn I was dating their long time friend, Yvonne. At that first meeting, Mike looked me up and down… as if to see if I was worthy to date his friend; for which he was protective of. Afterwards, I realized this was typical of Mike regarding family and friends. I thought after that first introduction he was unsure of me, but as time passed, we became friends and later, when Yvonne and I became engaged, we asked Mike and Lynn to stand up in our wedding, they graciously accepted. Thereafter, as time passed when we visited Mike and Lynn, we shared laughter, food, drinks and diverse conversations. In our experiences I found Mike to be a competitive guy always up for a challenge. So, I would like to share these two stories I vividly remember as they shaped my understanding of Mike: Yvonne and I were having a gathering with some friends, Mike and Lynn were present, so, I challenged Mike to a donut hole eating contest; always up for a challenge, Mike accepted. But, little did he know that I separated the yeast from the cake and I took the yeast donut holes and went first. I was able to stuff 12 donut holes in my mouth as they were collapsible yeast. Now, Mike’s turn and I give him the box of heavy cake donut holes. WITHOUT batting an eye he proceeded, 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on, red in the face, cheeks engorged with donut holes, he needed one more to beat my record, and with a gargantuan effort and everyone cheering… stuffed the winning donut in his mouth. Looking back, I now realize that Mike was the kind of person that would never give up, never surrender. Another occasion, I challenged Mike to an arm wrestling contest…Big burly Mike with the hands of a stone mason, and a strong raging bull. So, Mike, after snickering and laughing , accepted the challenge. My young 10 year old son was present to watch. Mike looked at me and then looked at my son, then we began the arm wrestle contest and after what seems liked 10 minutes of battle with red faces and strained arms… I WON! To this day, my son and I are convinced, Mike let me win, because he wanted my son to think highly of his father. That is the measure of the kind of man Mike was. Now, that he has passed through the veil, I will miss our arm wrestles, his laughter, his handshake, and our conversations about his unwavering steadfast opinions and beliefs. Here is a quote from one of his favorite authors, GW Chesterton: “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”Rick Mattera"
Jason Narducci from Plainfield, IL
"My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Cavaliere (and extended) family. Mr. Cavaliere was truly a great man and someone we all looked up to as we were growing up. Thank you for the memories."
Joe Garbarski from Saint Charles, IL
"Lynn, Michael, Nicole & Chad- my deepest heartfelt condolences to you and your families. I was fortunate to have known Michael almost his entire life, we were neighbors in Villa Park since 1959 and I spent countless hours, days, months and years with Michael growing up. At some point in time, there are a lot of stories from our youth that I can share, for now, suffice to say how fortunate all of us are for being in Michael's life. He was a very generous man, a very strong family man, and deeply philosophical. He was loved and respected by many, and lived a great life. I will miss him greatly, and only wish that you find some comfort at this time of sorrow."
Kathy (Kelly) Ahillen from Inverness , IL
"I was so sorry to hear about Michael. We were cousins and were close as kids. Bibby and Dorothy and the entire Pulio family were the best and Michael continued that great family. My condolences to the family for their terrible loss."
Sophia Roberts from Elburn , IL
"I love you so much papa! You’re the best papa in the entire work. Things get hard but I’m trying to make the best decisions possible. I miss you more and more everyday. I miss being able to talk to you about problems or when I have questions. You answer them so wisely. I hope I can do the right thing. Love you forever."