"I have lived abroad for 18 years. During my yearly visits to the US, it was Aunt Grace who always went out of her way to see me. When I experienced a really traumatic event, it was also Grace who reached out to ask what happened and give me comfort. She will be truly missed. She was a special person. "
In loving memory of
Grace Elizabeth Calvert
October 14, 1965 - July 7, 2026
Grace E. Calvert
October 14, 1965 – July 7, 2026
Grace Elizabeth Calvert of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died on July 7, 2026, following a courageous battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. She received treatment at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City and at St. Lukes Unity Point Hospital in Cedar Rapids. Her final days were spent in the kind and compassionate care of the St. Luke’s Hospice.
Grace was the youngest of seven children, was a musician, fierce animal rights advocate, and staunch defender of democracy. Grace graduated from Canton MO R-V High School in 1984; she graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1988 with a degree in Music Performance.
She was married on August 11, 1990 to her beloved and devoted husband, Charles "Andy" Harris; they shared 36 years of marriage. Their life together was marked by laughter and an enduring partnership that those around them admired.
Music – specifically the french horn -- was one of the great joys of Grace and Andy’s shared life along with caring for many cats over the years. Grace played horn with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in Little Rock, AR, and The Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon Orchestra, in Monterrey Mexico, Nuevo Leon.
Grace is survived by her husband, her brother Sam Calvert of St. Cloud, MN, and four sisters: Anne Whitehead of Independence MO, Jane Herring of Effingham IL, Kerri Calvert of Normal IL, Ruth Tamulonis of Murrell’s Inlet, SC; and by nephews Isaac Faamoe and Nuusa Faamoe. She was an organ donor. She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Jean Calvert of Canton MO and her sister, Susan Calvert of Ballwin MO and nephew Max Tamulonis.
A celebration of life will be held on October 3, 2026 from 2 to 4 pm in the Canton (Mo.) Methodist Church and in Cedar Rapids in the future, but the date for Cedar Rapids is not determined yet.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Orchestra Iowa (link: https://ticket.artsiowa.com/donate/contribute1 ) or the Cedar Valley Humane Society.
Grace will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her. Her memory — and her music — will live on in the hearts of her family and friends.