Aaron Nicholas Calovich’s memorial service will be held Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 3 p.m., Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts, followed by a 5:30 p.m. dinner at the Six Mile Chophouse and Tavern, 4931 W 6th Street, Lawrence, KS. Aaron died Dec. 3 due to injuries from an accident.
Born Dec. 27, 1977 in Denver, CO, Aaron grew up in Lawrence, where he was a student at Pickney Elementary School, Central Junior High School, and Lawrence High School. He graduated from Johnson County Community College, and attended the University of Kansas, majoring in biology, which grew out of his life-long love of nature.
As a kid, Aaron loved the Kansas Area Watershed Council gatherings, bird-watching (especially raptors), swimming and diving, camping, canoeing, and hiking, and immersing himself in the natural world. He played soccer as a kid, and softball when he was older. As he grew up, he fell in love with downhill skiing, especially the more challenging slopes in the Rockies. He also reveled in fishing at Clinton Reservoir and Lone Star Lake, going dancing (he had his own unique style), and especially cooking.
Aaron was born to feed people. He started cooking at age two when he would sit on the kitchen counter to stir pancake batter, and he went on to become one of the best chefs, entirely self-taught, in the region. He worked at Shalor’s (Eldridge House), RND Corner, and recently, the Six Mile Chophouse, all in Lawrence; JJ’s Restaurant, the Drum Room (President Hotel), and La Bodega in Kansas City; and the Holiday Inn in Dillon, CO. Friends, family, and customers regularly praised him for the “best food ever,” and marveled at his magic ability to turn simple ingredients into memorable meals.
Aaron was deeply beloved for his big and open heart. A good listener with the most beautiful smile, he was a man of unusual and expansive compassion. Aaron recently took a year off from being a chef to live with and care for his father who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. He was extremely close to his big brother Paul, and he adored children, particularly his nephews, nieces, and his cousins. He was devoted to his maternal grandparents and would regularly watch KU basketball, Kansas City Chiefs, and Kansas City Royals games with his grandpa in between cooking for his grandparents and mowing their lawn. When he was younger, he, Paul and their cousins would play ball for hours in his Grandpa and Grandma Calovich’s yard while the family watched from the porch. His family – including his circle of friends gathered over many years – meant the world to him.
Aaron is survived by his mother Joy deMaranville and stepfather Frank Norman of Lawrence; his father Paul Calovich, Sr., Oskaloosa; his stepmother Pam Calovich, Kansas City, MO.; his brother Paul Calovich, Jr., and Paul’s children Mazzy and Zada Calovich of Trinidad, CA.; his brother Brett Calovich, Peoria, AZ; his stepsister Lesley Couch, her husband Rob Couch, and their children Timothy, Nicholas, and Julia, Buckner, MO.; and his grandparents Albia and Janet DeMaranville of Lawrence. He will also be lovingly remembered by many aunts and uncles: Susan and Gary Frager, Lawrence; Al and Holly DeMaranville, Seattle; Jean Anne Calovich Sullivan, Tonganoxie; Dan Calovich, Edwardsville; Nick and Marsha Calovich, Tonganoxie; Matt Calovich, Princeton; Jim and Renee Calovich, Gardner; Joan Calovich Wood and David Wood, Tonganoxie; Christine Calovich Burns, Tonganoxie; Bill and Carmen Calovich, Kirbyville, MO.; Mark and Sherri Calovich, Hollister, MO.; Jenny Norman, Austin, TX; and Sue and Bruce Donaldson, Houston, TX; and many beloved cousins. He is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents Nick and Marie Calovich, and his aunt DeeDee Calovich.
Memorial donations can be sent to the “Aaron Calovich Memorial Fund,” First State Bank and Trust, P. O. 219, 1525 Highway 24-40, Tonganoxie, KS 66086 (donations can also be dropped off at the Basehor, Lawrence, Perry, Tonganoxie, or Kansas City, Kansas bank branches), or Just Food in memory of Aaron Calovich through the website www.justfoodks.org or at 1000 E. 11th St., Lawrence, KS 66046.
