Ferdinand Peter Calvey

Ferdinand Peter Calvey passed away peacefully Tuesday, April 11, 2017, at Longmont United Hospital, surrounded by loving family. A native of New Orleans, LA, “Pete”, as he was known to family and friends, was a unique person with an offbeat sense of humor and a penchant for pointing out the strangeness of the world around him. He enjoyed cooking and was a virtuoso in the kitchen. Pete was happy to cook large quantities of food, enough to feed a multitude, but he was also known for hiding a little of his best creations so that visiting loved ones would have a little taste of home when they came to town. His biggest smiles were always in those moments, when an experienced connoisseur or a creole food novice first got to taste the end result of hours of loving work in the kitchen.

Pete was a bit of a lone wolf sometimes and certainly marched to the beat of his own drummer. His unique dance moves, his sometimes off-color jokes, and his tendency to choose his circle of trusted friends and family sometimes pushed him to a quiet corner, watching the moments unfold and closely observing what was said and done and by whom, and sometimes brought him to center of the room, dancing and clowning and being the life of the party. His love of music, food, and fun made him a welcome addition to any event.

Though born in New Orleans, Pete spent years in many places, working in construction and as a handyman even as his health started to decline. He had an impressive variety of skills, and always seemed to know at least a little about how everything worked, could be fixed, or built from scratch. He developed those abilities during many phases of life in many places. He served in the Armed Forces as a Marine until his partial deafness made it so that he could not continue and he was medically discharged. His variety of jobs included everything from working as a prison guard and Sheriff Deputy in New Orleans to working at the Treasure Chest casino in Kenner. He worked in New Orleans, New York, and New Jersey, and each new experience added -to his repertoire and expanded his wealth of ability and know-how. For each skill and each job there was always a gadget to get it done. Pete was a lover of all types of gadgets, and a late night of watching television or surfing the internet was often followed by a UPS or FedEx guy knocking on the door a few days later. He loved having a little gadget to make a difficult task a little easier no matter if it was cooking, cleaning, or fixing something

Pete has now joined his brother, Raymond “R.J.” Calvey, and his parents, Raymond and Esther Calvey, in the sweet joy of a closer walk with the Lord. He is survived by his two children, Ryan Calvey and Giovanna Jaconia, and his sisters, Debra LeBeouf, and Ramona Calvey. His legacy also includes a large, loving, grateful and well-fed family and friends who enjoyed his company and loved him exactly as he was.

Cremation has been entrusted to Howe Mortuary and Cremation Services.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00 pm on Monday, April 17, 2017 at the Howe Mortuary Chapel in Longmont. A reception will follow.