- Date Of Birth: November 14, 1917
- Date Of Death: May 27, 2012
- State: Michigan
Victor John Caldecourt, age 94 of Midland passed away Sunday, May 27, 2012, at his home.
Victor was born November 14, 1917, in St. Johns, Michigan, to the late Alfred Victor Caldecourt and Edith (Bedell) Caldecourt. Victor spent his life growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He enlisted in the National Guard during his last two years of high school.
He then attended Grand Rapids Junior College for two years, worked for The Dow Chemical Company for a while, then returned for his Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from The University of Michigan. He continued to work for Dow, retiring in 1985. Victor was an inventor and developer of many of Dow’s instruments and accumulated many patents for the company. He was a co-builder of Dow’s first mass spectrometer, an analytical technology that is still widely used today. He was also co-inventor of the accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) for Dow.
In his personal life, Victor loved creating and improving designs to make things work to his satisfaction. In fact, a finished re-design was dubbed as having been “Vic-timized”, by his son-in-law. He was always willing to take on projects that would test his skill and ingenuity. He recognized the potential for failure, which, for most people would be daunting, but he didn’t let that stop him. He knew he could find a way to complete the project. He passed this philosophy on to his children. He loved giving a helping hand to family, friends, and church, always willing to go the extra mile for those with a need. Victor greatly enjoyed theological discussions with family members. All of his children engaged in these discussions many times over the years. Victor and his wife, Leona, together, were active in church, enjoying the fellowship of their friends and family very much, hiking with Mae and Mike Pearson, enjoying summers at their cottage, camping and vacationing with family, and snow skiing. Victor married Leona Margaret Asch on July 11, 1943, in Midland, where they have resided and raised their family. They would have been married 69 years this July.
He is survived by his wife, Leona, and their children, Sandra (Roy) Dunlap of Midland; Kathy Kemp of Midland; Joanne (Dennie) Burghardt of Sanford; and Alfred (Terri) Caldecourt of Midland; ten grandchildren, eight great grandchildren with one more due the first of June, and several cousins, nieces, and nephews. A special thank you to Victor’s caregivers Denny, Robin, Sharyl, and Sandy, who helped make his last months more comfortable and safe, to Dr. Fong for her dedication to his care, and to Dr. Fong’s nurses and staff for their help in communication with Dr. Fong. We miss you terribly, Dad. God and Jesus have you now, and we will all be together again someday. We love you very much.
