Obituary of Albert D. Cala

Albert David Cala, 70, of Ellington, NY passed peacefully at his home on Saturday, April 25, 2020. Albert was born on March 5, 1950 in Jamestown, NY, the only son of the late Albert A. Cala and Marian Triscari Cala. Al was a 1969 graduate of Jamestown High School and graduated from the Syracuse University School of Forestry with a degree in landscape architecture. Prior to his retirement in 2012, he worked for the City of Jamestown DPW engineering department for 30 years using his vast arboreal knowledge to plan, maintain and protect the city's trees. One of his favorite projects while employed by the city was the Jamestown Riverwalk. Al was instrumental in its early planning stages and enjoyed watching it develop and come to fruition. In earlier years, he worked as a landscape architect in Maryland as well as for the Chautauqua County Planning Commission in Mayville, NY. A longtime member of Zion Covenant Church in Jamestown, Al used his artistic talents to create props for VBS and holiday programs and was a member of Zion's Creation Care Group. He was a founding member of the Chautauqua Watershed Association as well as a member of Roger Tory Peterson Institute and the local Audubon Society. He served as a councilman on the Ellington Town Board for a number of years. Albert is survived by his wife of 42 years, Susanne Corey Cala; two daughters, Skye (Ryan) Reynolds of Boca Raton, FL and Madeline (Jake Klau) Cala of Buffalo, NY; three grandsons, Clayton and Owen Reynolds and Leland Albert Klau; three sisters, Susan (Michael) McPherson of Erie, PA, MaryCarla Champ of Jamestown, NY and Catherine (Robert) Cliff of South Lake Tahoe, CA; as well as many nieces, nephews and close friends. Al enthusiastically shared his passion for drawing, photography and the outdoors with his daughters. In healthier days, Al especially loved running and winter hiking and camping in the high peaks of the Adirondack Mountains with his close friend Bob McNamara and other buddies from Syracuse. Family camping trips were always a yearly high point for him. Albert will always be remembered by all for his love for and devotion to his wife, daughters and extended family, his passion for God's natural world and his amazing sense of humor. Al's patience, boundless energy and sense of fun earned him the nickname Uncle Al, the Kiddies' Pal by all of his nieces and nephews. It was repeatedly exclaimed how blessed his daughters were to have Albert Cala as their dad. A memorial service and life celebration for Albert will be announced by his family at a later date. The family looks forward to celebrating the amazing life of A.D. Cala with all those whose lives he touched. Memorials may be made to the Creation Care Group at Zion Covenant Church, 520 Fairmount Avenue, Jamestown, NY 14701; or the Urban Forestry Fund, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, 418 Spring Street, Jamestown, NY 14701.