Life Story

The Living Story of Donald Calhoun

Born on the banks of the Mississippi… and still flowing forward.

I was born the youngest child of Raymond Joseph Calhoun and Helen Edryce “Edie” Thelander Calhoun in Little Falls, Minnesota — a river town that shaped me in more ways than one. My childhood was a mix of freedom, neighborhood adventures, and a kind of early independence not many kids experience. When I was five, my mother became blind and gravely ill with brain cancer. That single moment changed everything — the pace of life, the expectations placed on a little boy, and the sensitivity I carried into adulthood.

My dad worked constantly, so I learned early to look after myself. Still, he passed on two priceless gifts: a genuine love of people and the famous Calhoun gift of gab. I didn't use either much until about age fourteen, when shyness finally gave way to curiosity and courage — helped along by a remarkable teacher, Tom Steinke, who cracked open my world and set me on a trajectory I could have never imagined. (If you know the book Dance with the Elephant, my chapter on my mother tells more of that turning point.)

Growing up in the ’60s meant long summer nights, pickup baseball and football games at the old Cliffwood Motel, and a neighborhood tribe of buddies — Bob, Luke, and whoever else had a pulse and a glove. Most evenings ended with the magic of water skiing when the Mississippi turned to glass, the whole river turning into our playground.

I started working at eleven — mowing lawns, painting houses, and later keeping books for my dad’s apartment rentals. By fourteen, I was learning the monument business from the ground up at Little Falls Granite Works. I didn’t know it then, but those dusty yards and hand-drafted orders would become the foundation of my life’s work.

I attended St. John’s University, studying economics and business administration. More importantly, that’s where I truly crossed paths with Katherine "Katie" Jean Staab of Little Falls. Katie — Miss Kate — would become the great love of my life, my teammate in adventure, faith, and child-raising, and the person who laughs at my jokes even when they don’t deserve it. We married, and nine months and five days later (who’s counting?) welcomed our son, Jonathon Patrick. Our daughter, Michelle Ann, arrived a couple of years later during our California chapter.

After college, I worked in my father’s company for several years before heading west to join Cold Spring Granite. That chapter took our young family across the Rockies to the West Coast, where I eventually managed the Western U.S. sales division. From there, life carried us north — all the way to Canada — where I became Vice President of Remco Memorials and a dual citizen.

But Minnesota has a way of calling you home. I returned to the little company my father had once been part of — Murphy Granite and the Little Falls Granite Works — and started building something new. From 1993 to my retirement, that tiny operation grew more than fortyfold. Not because of me alone, but because of the extraordinary people who came along for the ride. Together, we built one of the strongest, healthiest, most creative memorial companies in North America.

Raising our kids in a small community was one of the great blessings of our life. We built our home — Calrock — into a kind of playground: a safe, bustling, joyful place where we always knew what our kids were up to and where their friends were always welcome. Katie and I parented with a mix of freedom, trust, and intentionality. We tried to give Jonathon and Michelle the space to discover who they were meant to be. It worked — they grew into amazing adults, and our grandchildren became the light in our lantern.

A few things have been constant throughout my life: • I love the outdoors. • I love people. • I love a good story. • And I’ve always believed in living with purpose, gratitude, and curiosity.

I’ve stepped foot in every U.S. state, seven Canadian provinces, much of the Caribbean and South America, and still feel like I’ve barely begun. Hiking national parks with Miss Kate — from Zion’s cliffs to the hoodoos of Bryce — always makes me feel like a speck of sand in the hourglass of time… but a grateful one. Vikings football, water, mountains, new adventures, and any excuse to gather with family all fuel my life.

Today, as you read this — whether I’m still here to shake your hand or you’re visiting me by way of this QR code — know this: I tried my best to live a life of intention and generosity. I’ve been blessed beyond measure by the people who’ve walked beside me, challenged me, inspired me, and loved me.

My hope for anyone stopping here is simple: Live with curiosity. Practice gratitude. Forgive quickly. Love boldly. And remember—why be good, when you can be great! Love and Hugs my friend.  May you find the true North of your life and travel there. I did and it was so awesome, my Lord, my wife, kids, grandkids, colleagues, friends made this journey Heaven on Earth.