Mrs. Cora McCaleb

1924 - 2011

Mrs. Cora McCaleb
March 10, 1924 - November 19, 2011

Cora Belle Padgett McCaleb, 87, passed away peacefully at home, Saturday November 19, 2011. Cora was born March 10, 1924 in Los Angeles California to George Donovan Padgett and Minnie May White Padgett. She and her five brothers and one stepsister were raised by their dad and stepmom, Mae Ruth Houghton Padgett. Cora spent most of her early years in Lancaster, California, where her family owned and operated the local Allis-Chalmers dealership. After attending Antelope Valley High School she went to business school in Los Angeles. She had become the young WWII widow of US Navy pilot Robert Vance Bennett and was working at Bank of America near Port Hueneme when she became reacquainted with a very handsome Merchant Marine who was also from Lancaster. She and Ashley "Mac" McCaleb were married in 1945, and were devoted to one another for more than 65 years before Mac passed away in 2010. Mac and Cora owned and operated several family businesses while raising their four children. In their early years they lived in Ojai, California where they owned an equipment rental yard and water pump service business before migrating north to Trinity County in 1956, then to Shasta County a year later.

Mac and Cora founded Shasta Pump and Supply in Anderson and later owned Gas Point Store and Service Station in Cottonwood. They moved to Santa Rosa in 1969 where Cora owned Knit Wits clothing store and Melitta Station Antiques. Business ventures took them to Tucson, Arizona in 1972 before returning to Redding where they owned an auto parts store and Western Auto in Shasta Lake prior to their retirement.

Survived by brother John Padgett of Ridgecrest, daughter Mandy Baumann, son Larry McCaleb and his wife Sandy, daughter Cheri Hardaway and her husband Ernie, son Dan McCaleb and his wife Janice, all of Redding. Also loved and remembered by her grandchildren David McCaleb and his wife Janis, Steve Baumann and his wife Terri, Chad Hardaway, Shelly Moore and her husband Roger, Heather Hardaway Morrow and her husband Jeff, Dan McCaleb, Jr. and his wife Brandy, Alex Hardaway, Jennifer McCaleb, Donny McCaleb, Cody McCaleb, great-grandchildren, Cait Baumann, Parker Moore, Erin Baumann, Abby Moore, Erin McCaleb, Keira McCaleb, in addition to numerous nieces, nephews, and countless family friends. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband Mac, brothers Guy, Richard, George, and Don Padgett, step-sister Lynette Houghton and granddaughter, Stefanie Baumann.

Please join the family in honoring Cora at Allen and Dahl Funeral Chapel, 2655 Eureka Way in Redding on Monday November 28th at 1:00 pm. There will be a Celebration of Life at the Hardaway residence in Redding immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Northern California Veterans Cemetery, 11800 Gas Point Road, P.O. Box 76, Igo, CA 96047-0076 or your favorite charity.

Please sign the guestbook at http://obituaries.redding.com