Donald Lee Kavalec

Donald Lee Kavalec, 81, of Polson, MT, passed away on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at Kalispell Regional Medical Center, Kalispell, MT. Mr. Kavalec was born on February 28, 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1941, he moved to Southern California where he spent most of his life. After graduating from Marshall High School in Los Angeles, he served in the U.S. Army for one year before attending the University of Southern California, where he received an undergraduate degree and a Masters in Spanish. Mr. Kavalec taught Spanish for over 40 years, starting as a teacher at Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, CA. After moving to Vista, CA in 1965, he served as an instructor at MiraCosta Community College until his retirement in 1995. An avid globetrotter and recipient of several Fulbright Scholarships, Mr. Kavalec taught English abroad in Guatemala, Ecuador, and Paraguay. He also spent sabbatical years in Spain and Chile. He passed on his love of languages to his three children, all of whom grew up speaking fluent Spanish. At MiraCosta, Mr. Kavalec was known for his service on the Senate Faculty, his sense of humor and his love of practical jokes. A man on many interests, he enjoyed arboriculture, astronomy, music, and golf. On the basketball court, he favored an uncannily accurate hook shot, and on the dance floor he embraced Latin dancing and disco. In later years, he worked as a volunteer to help rehabilitate injured birds, many dozens which were released back into the wild thanks to his attentive care. In 2009, he and his wife moved to Polson, MT in search of new adventures. Mr. Kavalec is survived by his wife of 58 years, Maureen, was well as a daughter, Kathy and son-in-law, Mark, and two sons, Chris and Jon and daughter-in-law, Noriko, as well as four grandchildren: Ben, Sam, Gwen, ad Tomoya. Graveside services will be held on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 in Polson, MT. In lieu of flowers, donations memorials can be made to the American Heart Association (www.heart.org). Messages of condolence may be sent to the family online at www.groganfuneralhome.com. The staff of Grogan Funeral Home considers it a privilege to care for Mr. Kavalec's family.
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