Calvin Overby

Calvin “Cal” Curtis Overby, 81, of Austin, died Sunday, November 30, 2014 at Our House Memory Care in Austin. Cal was born on June 4, 1933, to Arnold M. and Mary E. (Hughes) Overby, in Amherst Township, Fillmore County, Minnesota. His mother passed away in 1943, and he then lived with his Aunt and Uncle, Elmer and Martha (Overby) Brown in Mabel, MN. He attended rural grade schools in that area. When he was in 7th grade, his father took a job a Hormel, so then he moved to Austin to live with his father and step-mother, Lila Overby. He graduated from Austin High School in June 1951. He began working for Geo. A. Hormel & Co., in the office, on December 3, 1951. In February 1953, he volunteered for the Draft, and served with the US Army during the Korean Conflict, until February of 1955. After his Honorable Discharge, he returned home, and went back to work at Geo. A. Hormel & Co., and worked in several different departments for 33 years, including Invoice, Cost Accounting, Payroll, Quality Control, Foreman of Gelatin, and also filled in as temporary foreman in the Cafeteria and Livestock. He also took some of Hormel Company’s customers on private tours of the plant. He retired from the Hormel Co. on August 31, 1984. On May 11, 1957, he married Dolores Walz, daughter of Albert and Martha Walz, at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Austin. He and Dolores had two children, Thomas “Tom” and Kathy. Cal was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church for many years, and loved going to church. Cal was a very sports-minded person, in personal participation, going to games and coaching youngsters. He assisted coaching Little League baseball teams, and YMCA Flag Football teams. He was a very loyal fan of the Austin High School teams in baseball, football and basketball, and followed their games both at home and away. He also became actively involved with the Austin Athletic Association for several years. He coached boys’ Travelers’ Basketball teams for several years, and some of the boys who went to the MN State Basketball Tournament 2 years in a row, were boys he had on this Travelers team. He followed 3 of those boys, in going to several of their games, when they played for college teams. As a sports lover, his favorite was basketball. Cal played on City League teams, and was also a member of the YMCA, where he played “noon” basketball for several years, and also worked out regularly with weight-lifting. He also played Men’s Touch Football, Broomball Hockey, Fast-pitch Baseball, and Slow-pitch softball. He played softball until he was well into his 50’s. Even after having hip-replacement surgery, he played basketball at the YMCA until he was in his 60’s. Cal was also a fan of the Minnesota Twins, Vikings and Gopher football and basketball teams. After his Hormel retirement, he took a part-time job at K-Mart in their new store, on October 14, 1991, working as a greeter, and later also delivered prescriptions. He retired from K-Mart in 2006. Cal also worked as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society for several years with their Daffodil Days promotion. For a couple of those years, he recruited some of the AHS basketball teams boys and cheerleaders to help with selling Daffodils, and for many years he conducted neighborhood collections for the American Cancer Society and March of Dimes. Cal was a very social person, and liked to be where the action was. Also, he loved to help anyone and/or everyone. If anyone ever needed help, he would be the first to volunteer. He had so many wonderful memories of the years he worked with coaching youngsters, and the relationships that came from those years. He also loved little kids and babies, always doing things to make them smile. Cal dearly loved everyone in his family and considered everyone in the Walz family, not only as family, but his very best friends. Cal is survived by his wife Dolores of Austin; son, Tom (Lucinda Williams) Overby of Studio City, CA; daughter, Kathy (Don) Jensen of Eden Prairie, MN; grandchildren, Daniel Olson, Kate (Peter) Vann and Kristine (Jake) Whitsitt; great-grandchildren, Gavin, Maddie and Kaylen Whitsitt, Olan, Blake and Kylie Vann; sisters, Elaine Chihak of Austin, Lisa (Brian) Zipse of Montgomery, MN; step-mother, Lila Overby of Montgomery, MN. Cal is preceded in death by his parents and his mother and father-in law. A Funeral Mass will be on Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 11:00 am at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Austin with Father Jim Steffes officiating. Visitation will be on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 from 5-7 pm at Mayer Funeral Home in Austin and again an hour prior to the funeral at the church. Burial will follow the service at Calvary Cemetery with Military Graveside Rites performed by the Austin American Legion Post #91.

Service Information

Cemetery

Calvary Cemetery
4th Drive SW
Austin MN 55912

Visitation

Wednesday, December 3 2014
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Mayer Funeral Home
600 2nd Street NW P.O. Box 27
Austin MN 55912

Visitation

Thursday, December 4 2014
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

St. Augustine Catholic Church
405 4th Street NW
Austin MN 55912

Service

Thursday, December 4 2014
11:00 AM

St. Augustine Catholic Church
405 4th Street NW
Austin MN 55912