Daniel M. Cavaluzzi

Daniel M. Cavaluzzi passed away on July 8, 2025. He was born on May 6, 1949 to Nancy and Daniel L. Cavaluzzi. He was predeceased by his parents, brother-in-law Edward Dunne, his beautiful Aunty Dotty (McCreight)and cousin Billy McCreight. He leaves behind his older sister Antoinette (“Toni”) Dunne and his younger brother Joseph Cavaluzzi with whom he always had an extremely close relationship. He will be sorely missed by his best friend, Barbara Bequette; nephew Christopher Dunne; great niece Kaiya Dunne; cousins Dorothy and Scott Tiernan, Danielle Tiernan (Dominic and Brandon Dillon) and Jessica Tiernan, as well as many Caputo and Cavaluzzi cousins.

Danny was the guy who gave you the shirt off his back along with anything else you wanted or needed. He was always there to offer his help in any way, including helping the less fortunate by providing food, money and transportation. He was a humble and unpretentious person. Although material objects meant nothing to him, he did like looking for and buying cars, always having several old cars at the same time. He enjoyed driving but was happiest walking in the woods and along the Hudson River, appreciating the beauty and serenity of nature. His deep-rooted appreciation of nature began as a child spending summers in Mountain Lodge Park, a far cry from his apartment in Manhattan. As an adult, he followed his heart and purchased a home in Mountain Lodge Park and, in turn, his entire close-knit family, including his parents, sister, brother, nephew and close cousins, followed him from New York City to Orange County. We all have Danny to thank for enjoying our suburban lives.

Danny was a true animal lover, had dogs most of his life and fed every bird, cat and raccoon in Orange County. He was always building outdoor shelters for them, and he was in no way a carpenter. We would try many times to dissuade him from building the shelters and buying the thousand pounds of food to feed them all, but it always fell on deaf ears. He was the Dr. Doolittle of Mountain Lodge.

Danny was the middle child and did not like being in the spotlight. He always did his own thing, marching to his own drum and was never swayed by popular opinion. He was well versed in politics, a die-hard democrat. He relaxed watching crime dramas, sitcoms, basketball, football and boxing. As a Knicks fan, he watched every game with enthusiasm and hope this past season.

Organization was never his priority, and he was often forgetful. He was comical when it came to handling important papers. If he was able to actually locate the important papers, they could have been under a pillow that a cat was sleeping on or under one of his car’s front floor mats.

Danny had a wry sense of humor enjoyed by his entire family and idiosyncrasies galore that only seemed to endear him more. He was not a steak and lobster type of person but instead enjoyed pizza, eggplant, macaroni and meatballs. He was always appreciative to receive home cooked meals from his family. He was a night owl having worked the night shift for the NYC Department of Sanitation, so it was easier to reach him on the phone at midnight than it was to reach him any time before noon.

Danny was, above all else, very loving. There was not a mean bone in his body. He was a down to earth, genuine person with a pure soul, not common in this world and we will all miss him terribly until we are united again.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Mary’s Church in Washingtonville at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2025 with burial immediately following at St. Mary’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to Pets Alive in Middletown or any no-kill animal shelter.