John "Jack" Stanley Cavolick

Jack Cavolick, age 82, died at home in Colrain on October 22, 2023. Jack came roaring into this lifetime on June 14, 1941, on the cusp of Father’s Day, causing confusion about his actual birthday for the rest of his life—his mother claimed both dates of birth for him. He was the first-born son of John and Rose (Nizolek) Cavolick. Jack led a pack of 26 cousins in Stamford, Connecticut. The extended family gathered every Sunday at Nanny and Jaji’s farm, where Jack lived his first nine years corralling Rhode Island Red chickens.

The death of Jack’s father when he was 14 left him in need of men who could guide him. At his Uncle Eddie’s Bit ‘N Bridle dude ranch in Stony Creek, New York, he rode broncos and courted fun and trouble until joining the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17. The Marines taught Jack honor, discipline, fidelity, and service, giving him a chance to see the world.

At the end of his tour of duty, Jack moved to New York and studied at Columbia University in pursuit of a career as a veterinarian. A different path unfolded when he began a four-year apprenticeship as a master carpenter, leading to 30 years of work as a carpenter and builder of fine homes. His businesses included Cavolick & Petrillo Construction in Quechee, Vermont, and Cavolick Construction and Habitat Construction in Enfield, Connecticut, where he earned awards as a designer-builder.

Jack’s last career was as a gardener, while remodeling an 1892 parsonage and barn in Colrain, Massachusetts, serving the town as selectperson, animal control officer, emergency management director, and on many boards. Always an adventurer and lover of nature, at 65 he worked as a white-water raft guide at Zoar Outdoors. In his 70s, he studied art at Greenfield Community College for three years. At the age of 80, he planted an orchard of 30 fruit trees to bear fruit for another generation.

Jack’s curiosity and love of lifelong learning inspired his voracious and constant reading—often juggling ten books at once and over 100 pages a day. He could teach himself almost any skill by reading and kinesthetic learning. A master chef and culinary wizard, Jack leaves a collection of hundreds of cookbooks and favorite recipes. He will always be remembered for sumptuous dinners around the dining room table and the fascinating and far-ranging conversations he led there.

Jack’s family includes his wife of 28 years, Leslie Fraser, his daughter Corinne Cavolick, sons Christopher and Dakota, grandsons Kentaro, Kota, and Kaito, his brother Wayne and wife Jenny and their three children, sister Kathy Dean, sister Judy and her husband Sonny Ruggiri, nieces Ashley and Kelsey and nephew Tucker, and niece Jaclyn and her husband Drake Hastings and their two children, along with many cousins, dear friends, and his beloved dogs Archie, Belle, and Tilly Rose.

A celebration of Jack’s life will be held November 11 at 1pm at the First Congregational Church of Ashfield, UCC. His wish is for some of his ashes to be distributed near Brandon Gap in Vermont, and for some to remain with his wife and pets in Colrain. Esophageal cancer brought Jack’s love of cooking and sharing meals to an end in June, but a potluck fundraiser in support of community meals and local food banks, made with Jack’s favorite recipes, will be celebrated at a later date.

The Cremation Society of New Hampshire has been entrusted with arrangements. To view an online tribute, leave a message of condolence or for more information please visit www.csnh.com.