Col. Arthur Thomas Cavano, Jr.

Colonel Arthur T. Cavano, Jr. passed peacefully away on November 18, 2017 in Barboursville, WVA. Born in 1925, he was forged in the crucible of Depression era poverty and the savagery of World War II. He joined the Marines as a 17 yr old with his brother George, and saw combat in Saipan and Tinian. On the way to Okinawa, his troop carrier was sunk by a kamikaze pilot and two thirds of his battalion were lost at sea. After his unit reconstituted in Hawaii, he was with the first U.S. troops to march into Hiroshima's ground zero. After the war, he earned his college degree at the University of Denver, met Janet Jeffrey and married above his station. After graduation, he was commissioned an Army Armored Cavalry officer and served in command and staff positions in Ft Campbell , Japan, and Germany, with one tour as Professor of Military Science at Davidson College. In 1962, he transitioned to the Army Special Forces Reserve and settled in Fayetteville, NC. Art began teaching English at Fayetteville Technical Institute (FTI) in 1963 and earned his Master degree and Ph.D in Adult Education from the University of North Carolina. His dissertation examined the effects of cognitive dissonance, and he challenged his children and students to engage in critical thinking, question conventional wisdom and reject unjust social norms. He was promoted to Dean of Students at FTI, and retired in 1983. After retirement, Art lived for 20 years at the Beaver Dam, NC home and tree farm he built with Janet, his beloved wife of 67 years. He enjoyed world travel, bridge, camping, hiking, chess, and reading the classics to his children and grandchildren. He hosted his grandchildren at 'Camp Cavano', where he introduced them to country living, including clearing brush, fishing, swimming, and long hikes (aka forced marches). He and Janet moved to Fayetteville's Heritage Place for five years before moving to Wyngate in Barboursville, WVA. Art was an active anonymous donor to the poor and underprivileged, and contributed his time and money to causes he cherished, including the Boy Scouts of America and Kiwanis Club. Art is survived by his five children: Thomas Cavano (Nancy Fontaine) of Tallahassee, FL; Jame McCumbee (Will) of Barboursville, WVA; Anne Moen (Chuck), of Sandy, OR; Jeffrey Cavano (Diana), of Dumfries, VA; and David Cavano (Tina),of Huntington Beach, CA; eighteen grandchildren, and fifteen great grandchildren. Art will be buried with his wife at Sandhills Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake, NC on December 1, at noon. A visitation with the family will be held at Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home from 1000-1130hours on 1 December. Flowers can be sent to Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home in Fayetteville, NC.