Calvin Edward Barwick, age 88, of Sacramento, died quietly at home in his sleep on January 23, 2022, of advanced prostate cancer.
Cal was born in Louisville, KY, the son of the late John Calvin and Mary B Lewis Barwick. He attended Male High School and, during that time, developed his tennis game, winning many tournaments and championships, including the 1951 KHSAA state championship in team tennis.
His good friend, college roommate, and fraternity brother, Dave Thomas, remembers several enjoyable years with Cal as a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity.
After graduation, Cal proudly joined the US Navy to serve during the Korean conflict. He ended his service as a submariner on the training boat, the USS Sarda. He remained a life-long tinkerer of diesel engines.
Cal attended the University of Kentucky on a tennis scholarship and the GI bill to graduate with a commerce degree in 1960. Cal had a sense of humor and wry wit. He'd love to joke that he graduated in the top 99% of his class and see if people "got it."
Cal was very proud to have been designated by the Governor of Kentucky with the honorable title of Kentucky Colonel.
Once his education was complete, Cal followed a boyhood and life-long friend, Tom Porter, to Sacramento. His boyhood buddies - Tom, Charlie Davis, and "Cig" Allen remained friends through their lives. We heard the many semi-notorious stories of Cal and Tom's youth, which they blamed on the faulty memory of Tom's mother. Mrs. Porter was a sharp-minded woman, so we all know those tales were true, and Cal did confess to many.
Cal began his work career at Aerojet, then worked for Standard Oil in San Francisco. Cal's primary career was with Kaiser Permanente. He started at the Oakland Regional Offices and then moved to Sacramento as a Kaiser Regional Business Office manager for most of his working years.
Cal continued playing tennis several times a week at many local tennis clubs until age 77. When Cal gave up tennis, he focused on golf which he played until his early 80's. His last tennis club was Del Norte, where he enjoyed his "tennis mafia" friends. A small group of those friends made a couple of Saturday morning coffee visits a month with Cal until the end of his life. He treasured those male bonding times with Smokey Murphy, Steve Fong, and Bill Fanning.
Cal's love for fruit and vegetable gardening almost matched his love of tennis. He became a Master Food Preserver through the UC Davis program. Abundant harvests not only became preserves but gifts to friends and family; community groups also benefited from his bounty.
He was a frugal and handy person, a true child of the depression.
We remember his passion for ice cream, tomatoes, peaches, corn, and savory snacks.
Cal loved to travel in Canada and Europe with his wife of 32 years, Karen Poirier-Brode, MD, who he has left to mourn. Karen says, "We rubbed along in life, sometimes like sandpaper, but forgiveness, optimism, Cal's patience and ultimately our love made it work."
He adored his family and delighted in the young ones - doing magic tricks, teaching kids to cheat at Rummy, and going fishing.
A large and wonderful blended family remembers him with love - sons: Mike Barwick (Patty), Redding, Joe Barwick (Cathy), Folsom, Paul Barwick (Haily), Folsom, Bob Barwick (Angie), Aptos, Ryan Evans, Taipei, Taiwan, and stepsons, Chris Brode (Laurel) and Joe Heffernan, Jr. of Sacramento. His loving family included grandchildren Austin (Christine), Amanda, Taylor, Bridgett, Madison, Donovan, Brandon, Dylan, great-grandson Joseph, niece "like a daughter" Danielle Poirier, and sister-in-law Joan Barwick.
Cal was preceded in death by his brother, John Lewis Barwick (Joan), and the half-brother he discovered late in life, John Calvin Barwick.
Calvin will be interred with honors at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon at a future date.
Cal is gone to be with his beloved MawMaw and play golf for quarters with his good friend, Del Skaggs.
