Aavo Kalviste

Aavo Kalviste passed away peacefully, leaving behind his daughter Kersti and her husband Bill, 3 grandchildren Kris, Nikki and Klarissa, 2 great grandchildren Kielie and Braxtin, 1 nephew Ilmar, 2 nieces Kaia and Siri, and sister-in-law Ilona.

It was towards the end of WWII, when Aavo was only 12 years old, his mother Alma and his younger brother Juri fled their homeland of Estonia to escape the war. Alma was a single mother as Aavo's father was killed in an industrial accident when Aavo was just 4 years old. As the German soldiers retreated toward their homeland, the Russians moved into and occupied Estonia. Aavo's mother was a very strong women and kept her boys safe in displacement camps while they eagerly waited for on opportunity to immigrate to the United States. It was in these camps that Aavo earned his High School Diploma. They finally found a sponsor in 1949 and the small family crossed the ocean by ship looking for opportunities and eventually ended up in Seattle. Aavo attended the University of Washington, received his Bachelor's Degree in Engineering in 1954. He showed his American patriotism by enlisting in the US Air Force and was stationed in Germany until 1958. It was during that time that he met his wife Kathe. He arranged for her to join him in Seattle on Christmas Eve 1958

and they were married in January. Aavo was then hired by Boeing as an electrical engineer which gave him the opportunity to continue his education. He went back to the University of Washington to earn his Masters Degree and eventually earned an MBA Degree from Seattle University. All this was accomplished while working full-time, raising a family, and embracing his Estonian heritage. Aavo was a leading member of the Seattle Estonian community for many years and a member of the Seattle Rotalia Foundation, which supports Estonian immigrants and political efforts in his homeland. In addition to lobbying Congressional representatives and Senators, they work to spread Estonian culture and awareness.

Aavo's absolute favorite recreational activity was volleyball, which he played for over 70 years. He used to joke that there was a picture of him naked with a volleyball when he was just a couple years old. He played on the UW volleyball team while in college and continued to play on various teams, leagues & in tournaments over the years. He still played in a senior volleyball league in the Shoreline area 2-3 times a week into his early 80's. He also loved ballroom dancing, playing the piano, entertaining, and all the while taking pictures. Kathe & Aavo loved to entertain, whether it be parties with friends and the Estonian community, or hosting relatives that always seem to stay at their home in Shoreline whenever they visited from Europe (and eventually from Estonia, once they declared their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991).

In 2003, tragedy struck when his son Erik died in a car accident and just a couple months later his wife Kathe died of a broken heart over the loss of their son. He eventually met a nice lady named Gisela and they stayed together for several years. He had heart surgery in 2012, but suffered a stroke during the surgery which robbed him of most of his memories, but he always had a smile on his face and will be missed by his family and his many friends. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation in his name to Seattle Rotalia Foundation. Memorial to be held 5/11 at Evergreen Washelli.