Remembering Daniel J. Cavoli: A Beloved Educator and Friend

It is with profound sadness that we share the news that Mr. Daniel J. Cavoli passed away peacefully this morning. The void left by his passing will be impossible to fill.

Daniel was a giant of the teaching profession and the St. Edward community. His intelligence was only matched by his desire to support the spiritual and academic development of his thousands of students and to walk side by side with colleagues who adored him.

Daniel was a decorated student himself, named valedictorian at both Saint Ignatius High School and College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. His love of language was the way he authentically connected to so many people. Legend has it that he spoke 28 languages, and he'd often jump between them with ease when meeting someone from a culture different than his own. When engaged in a conversation with Daniel, he made sure you knew you were the most important person in the world.

Daniel was also an exceptional artist. He earned an MFA from Cleveland Institute of Art and his commitment to perfection and attention to detail fueled his creation of beautiful artwork. He loved art history and would happily discuss art in any style. Classical music poured from his classroom. His car radio was always set to WCLV.

When Daniel joined the faculty in 1989, he raised the level of academic excellence and led the Classics program to be the envy of other schools. In 2004, he was named Ohio Latin Teacher of the Year, and in 2005, St. Edward High School was honored with the Hildesheime Vase Award as the top Latin program in Ohio. Since the announcement of his illness, hundreds of stories and letters have poured in attributing a love of language to his teaching. Daniel could often be found working with small groups of students to make certain they understood the most difficult concepts. His "wild Latin parties" were famous.

Perhaps his greatest impact on his students was through the Wilderness Retreat Program he created. For decades, Daniel would lead "Escapes to the Mountains," which inspired students to experience their Catholic faith and spirituality during a week in the quiet of nature. Daniel's incredible memory allowed him to readily recall the name of every retreatant (or WilderVet as he called them), as well as the exact retreat they attended and its location. Beautiful photos of those retreats adorned his classroom and motivated future generations to attend.

Former students, parents, and colleagues were akin to Daniel's family. He'll be remembered for so many things, but for those of us who worked with him every day, he'll be most remembered for:

• Enthusiastic welcomes, with exaggerated handshakes and powerful hugs.
• A classroom light that was always on, even late into the night as he meticulously graded his students' work.
• Thank you cards or other notes thoughtfully written with perfect penmanship.
• Heaping plates of salad at every faculty lunch.
• Smells of fish from the lounge and tutorials on how to "properly" microwave salmon.
• A classroom loaded with plants, representative of a love of nature and God’s creation.
• His signature bright green blazer.
• Greetings of "Salvete Omnes!”
• Unwavering support and generosity for others in times of need.
• Keeping us all up to date with the latest Papal Encyclicals.
• Collecting the mulberries from the trees behind the school to share with us all.
• Hundreds of beautifully and thoughtfully written emails—there wasn’t a celebratory message he didn’t have a touching response to.

In one of Daniel's final emails to the entire faculty this past December, he left us with a poignant reminder: "Miracles can happen the minute we trust God to take the best we can give, even on our worst days. When we think we haven't really got a lot to give, He blesses it and multiplies it to the benefit of someone in straits more dire than our own!" Those words perfectly encapsulate Daniel and his instinct to always place the needs of others ahead of his own.

Daniel's wake and funeral will be held at St. Edward. We will share details as soon as they are finalized.

Please pray for Daniel, his family, and the entire St. Edward community as we mourn his loss. The pain of his death will linger for a long time, but we’re comforted knowing that the impact of his legacy will remain at St. Ed's forever.