Calvin Liang Obituary (1940 – 2022) – Rockville, MD
Master builder and family patriarch, Calvin Liang, 82, of Silver Spring, Maryland, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his 53-year-old wife, Elaine, and children, Lisa, Amy and Mark.
Calvin was proud of his American citizenship, having emigrated from China to Washington, D.C. at the age of 7 with his father, Dr. Ching-Chun Liang, his mother, Hsiao Shiu-Hsien, and his siblings, George, Helen, June and Eugene. . The family moved to Brookland, in northeast Washington, DC, due to Dr. Liang’s landmark appointment to the International Monetary Fund. Calvin adored the younger siblings, Kate, Eugene, and Horace.
Calvin’s work ethic and drive started as soon as he was able to pedal a bike – starting with 2 paper routes at age 8 with George, to being a gas station attendant in middle school, and then an auto mechanic. He graduated from Northwestern High School (Md.) where he studied basketball, football and tennis. Calvin attended Strayer University where he met his best friend (and later best man), Gerry Gelfeld, and his friend Felicite MacFarlane. Calvin was the editor of the Ledger, co-captain of the basketball team, and earned a degree in financial administration.
On the most fortuitous New Year’s Eve of his life, Calvin went to a party at the Omni Shoreham Hotel with friends and Elaine captured his eyes and heart and their love affair for the ages began. Ever devoted to each other, neither Calvin’s service in the U.S. Army nor distance deterred their love. Elaine continued her education at Radford College and during a visit to her home, Calvin proposed to the Virginia Tech duck pond near the home of her sister June, her brother-in-law Joseph and her new nephew. , Michael. In 1968, Calvin and Elaine were married near Elaine’s hometown of Maui.
They returned to Washington, D.C., where Calvin soon became controller of the City Bank & Trust Company in Alexandria, Virginia; Accountant at Leopold & Linowes; and controller at Julian Cohen Salvage Corp. He took a gamble – knew when to hold ’em, knew when to fold ’em, knew when to walk away – quit accounting and founded Matrix Construction Co. He and his lifelong friends Ron Nash and Ken Wilson began to build their first house together on January 1, 1970.
As a general contractor, Calvin was renowned for building and remodeling homes for DC’s elite and was never shy about intricate designs. Matrix holds the 5th home improvement license in Washington. Calvin’s superior craftsmanship has earned it a loyal and long-standing customer base, garnering prestigious credentials spanning over five decades. Calvin’s reputation was also that of a disciplined and generous mentor to a dedicated group of exceptional craftsmen, including his trusted foreman of over thirty years, William Donovan. Calvin completed every job without exception and always with Elaine traveling thousands of miles to manage materials and collect estimates.
More than two decades ago, Calvin began the renovation and total restoration and preservation of the former French Embassy in Meridian Hill on 16th Street alongside Dr. JD Andrews of the Council for Professional Recognition. He continued preservation work there until his death.
He always planned every course laid out, every careful step along the way, and did it his own way. Calvin holds US patents and was a licensed realtor.
There were of course times when he bit off more than he could chew, but through it all, when there was doubt, he ate it and spat it out, he faced it all and he stood up.
His life’s work was also collected in his three-car garage (plus a tool shed and lumber yard). Calvin enjoyed his work vans, his convertible, and cherished the 1979 Cadillac Seville. He was always laughing about leaving a dinner date with Elaine and Tim & Susan Healy, and getting pulled over for erratic driving when his seat belt wasn’t cooperating. These officers phoned others to admire the Seville and its whitewall tires and proper restoration. He drove all the highways in that Cadillac with Elaine in the passenger seat – to the Greenbrier, to weddings, to graduations and countless car shows.
Still the family patriarch of his devoted and adoring nephews and nieces, he taught life lessons about strong handshakes and clean hands, the power of a well-timed (and brief) joke, and the blessings of synchronicity.
Calvin’s true devotion was as the father of Lisa, Amy and Mark. Lisa taught victory and courage (never give up; always finish the job), forgiveness and transformation (each job teaches something new and requires different tools), and to be relentless (stubborn) in the pursuit of dreams. In Amy, he taught her to be a builder – a builder of a beautiful and strong family (to build each generation better than the last), to build a better future in early childhood education (to learn something new every day) and to build themselves up to be firm in their beliefs and actions. And to Mark, who joined the Army at the same age as Calvin – long before he had embraced the values of Mark the Army: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honour, Integrity and Personal Courage – and always remembering their family roots.
He thought of life in seasons and always of Elaine – the poem he adoringly titled Four Seasons: Gentle Breeze, soft sunshine, wonder green, beauty spring, lovely Elaine / Elegant white, pure serene, winter cold, warm my Elaine / Nature glow, bright flower, summer light, radiant Elaine / Auburn delight, harvest reign, complete rejoicing, celestial Elaine.
Knowing his final season was near and he was facing the final curtain, he knew he had built and lived a full life. He knew he had been God’s faithful servant and he knew he could say: I did it my way.
Calvin is predeceased by his parents, his brother George Liang, his sister June Wang and his sister Kate Liang. Calvin is survived and adored by his faithful wife, Elaine S. Liang; his daughter Lisa (Alex) of Atlanta, Georgia; daughter Amy (Kendel) of Silver Spring, MD; son Mark of Alexandria, VA; 2 grandchildren; older sister Helen Tang Yates of Wilmington, DE; younger brother Kuo-Yu Liang of Wilmington, DE; younger brother Horace Liang (Lorrie) of Sarasota, FL; cousins Liang Xiaoguang, Ming (Christine) Liang and Ping (Lily) Liang; 13 nieces and nephews; 19 great-nieces and nephews; 1 great-great-niece and 1 great-great-nephew; best friends Gerry (Vivian) Gelfeld, Ron (Marta) Nash and Ken Wilson; and a host of friends, colleagues and clients.
The family will be hosting a celebration of life at a later date. Expressions of sympathy, letters of remembrance, meals or honorary and commemorative contributions are welcome and can be coordinated by email [email protected]
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Calvin Kuo-Yuan Liang, please visit our tribute shop or plant a tree.
Calvin was proud of his American citizenship, having emigrated from China to Washington, D.C. at the age of 7 with his father, Dr. Ching-Chun Liang, his mother, Hsiao Shiu-Hsien, and his siblings, George, Helen, June and Eugene. . The family moved to Brookland, in northeast Washington, DC, due to Dr. Liang’s landmark appointment to the International Monetary Fund. Calvin adored the younger siblings, Kate, Eugene, and Horace.
Calvin’s work ethic and drive started as soon as he was able to pedal a bike – starting with 2 paper routes at age 8 with George, to being a gas station attendant in middle school, and then an auto mechanic. He graduated from Northwestern High School (Md.) where he studied basketball, football and tennis. Calvin attended Strayer University where he met his best friend (and later best man), Gerry Gelfeld, and his friend Felicite MacFarlane. Calvin was the editor of the Ledger, co-captain of the basketball team, and earned a degree in financial administration.
On the most fortuitous New Year’s Eve of his life, Calvin went to a party at the Omni Shoreham Hotel with friends and Elaine captured his eyes and heart and their love affair for the ages began. Ever devoted to each other, neither Calvin’s service in the U.S. Army nor distance deterred their love. Elaine continued her education at Radford College and during a visit to her home, Calvin proposed to the Virginia Tech duck pond near the home of her sister June, her brother-in-law Joseph and her new nephew. , Michael. In 1968, Calvin and Elaine were married near Elaine’s hometown of Maui.
They returned to Washington, D.C., where Calvin soon became controller of the City Bank & Trust Company in Alexandria, Virginia; Accountant at Leopold & Linowes; and controller at Julian Cohen Salvage Corp. He took a gamble – knew when to hold ’em, knew when to fold ’em, knew when to walk away – quit accounting and founded Matrix Construction Co. He and his lifelong friends Ron Nash and Ken Wilson began to build their first house together on January 1, 1970.
As a general contractor, Calvin was renowned for building and remodeling homes for DC’s elite and was never shy about intricate designs. Matrix holds the 5th home improvement license in Washington. Calvin’s superior craftsmanship has earned it a loyal and long-standing customer base, garnering prestigious credentials spanning over five decades. Calvin’s reputation was also that of a disciplined and generous mentor to a dedicated group of exceptional craftsmen, including his trusted foreman of over thirty years, William Donovan. Calvin completed every job without exception and always with Elaine traveling thousands of miles to manage materials and collect estimates.
More than two decades ago, Calvin began the renovation and total restoration and preservation of the former French Embassy in Meridian Hill on 16th Street alongside Dr. JD Andrews of the Council for Professional Recognition. He continued preservation work there until his death.
He always planned every course laid out, every careful step along the way, and did it his own way. Calvin holds US patents and was a licensed realtor.
There were of course times when he bit off more than he could chew, but through it all, when there was doubt, he ate it and spat it out, he faced it all and he stood up.
His life’s work was also collected in his three-car garage (plus a tool shed and lumber yard). Calvin enjoyed his work vans, his convertible, and cherished the 1979 Cadillac Seville. He was always laughing about leaving a dinner date with Elaine and Tim & Susan Healy, and getting pulled over for erratic driving when his seat belt wasn’t cooperating. These officers phoned others to admire the Seville and its whitewall tires and proper restoration. He drove all the highways in that Cadillac with Elaine in the passenger seat – to the Greenbrier, to weddings, to graduations and countless car shows.
Still the family patriarch of his devoted and adoring nephews and nieces, he taught life lessons about strong handshakes and clean hands, the power of a well-timed (and brief) joke, and the blessings of synchronicity.
Calvin’s true devotion was as the father of Lisa, Amy and Mark. Lisa taught victory and courage (never give up; always finish the job), forgiveness and transformation (each job teaches something new and requires different tools), and to be relentless (stubborn) in the pursuit of dreams. In Amy, he taught her to be a builder – a builder of a beautiful and strong family (to build each generation better than the last), to build a better future in early childhood education (to learn something new every day) and to build themselves up to be firm in their beliefs and actions. And to Mark, who joined the Army at the same age as Calvin – long before he had embraced the values of Mark the Army: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honour, Integrity and Personal Courage – and always remembering their family roots.
He thought of life in seasons and always of Elaine – the poem he adoringly titled Four Seasons: Gentle Breeze, soft sunshine, wonder green, beauty spring, lovely Elaine / Elegant white, pure serene, winter cold, warm my Elaine / Nature glow, bright flower, summer light, radiant Elaine / Auburn delight, harvest reign, complete rejoicing, celestial Elaine.
Knowing his final season was near and he was facing the final curtain, he knew he had built and lived a full life. He knew he had been God’s faithful servant and he knew he could say: I did it my way.
Calvin is predeceased by his parents, his brother George Liang, his sister June Wang and his sister Kate Liang. Calvin is survived and adored by his faithful wife, Elaine S. Liang; his daughter Lisa (Alex) of Atlanta, Georgia; daughter Amy (Kendel) of Silver Spring, MD; son Mark of Alexandria, VA; 2 grandchildren; older sister Helen Tang Yates of Wilmington, DE; younger brother Kuo-Yu Liang of Wilmington, DE; younger brother Horace Liang (Lorrie) of Sarasota, FL; cousins Liang Xiaoguang, Ming (Christine) Liang and Ping (Lily) Liang; 13 nieces and nephews; 19 great-nieces and nephews; 1 great-great-niece and 1 great-great-nephew; best friends Gerry (Vivian) Gelfeld, Ron (Marta) Nash and Ken Wilson; and a host of friends, colleagues and clients.
The family will be hosting a celebration of life at a later date. Expressions of sympathy, letters of remembrance, meals or honorary and commemorative contributions are welcome and can be coordinated by email [email protected]
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Calvin Kuo-Yuan Liang, please visit our tribute shop or plant a tree.
Posted by Going Home Cremation & Funeral Care by Value Choice, PA on February 15, 2022.