Ike Kendrick

http://www.legacy.com/SignOnSanDiego/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=106632131

Kimberlee Caledonia
CALEDONIA, KIMBERLEE
We celebrate the life of Kimberlee Caledonia, born June 7, 1962, who
passed away on March 19, 2008, after courageously battling brain cancer
for over two years. Kimberlee was an elite athlete, photographer,
teacher, friend, lover of languages and lover of life. Her athletic
career was varied and exceptional. In the 1980s, she pioneered mountain
bike racing, gaining national stature as a top-three competitor in the
U.S. In addition, she raced road bikes and was invited to the U.S.
Olympic Training Center on numerous occasions for training. At home,
Kimberlee could be found riding San Diego County roads most weekends
putting in thousands of miles a year. Cycling 100 miles on a Saturday or
Sunday became a normal occurrence for Kimberlee. "I remember one
particularly long ride we did together," says Del Mar resident, Richard
Bryne. "I was not as fit as she was, and she was just motoring. For the
first half of the ride, we were chatting side-by-side. Then later, we
were still side-by-side but she was doing most of the talking. I
remember I was just hanging on and hoping I wouldn't get dropped." In
2003, she competed in double centuries (200 mile rides in one day) and
posted a 12 hour 11 minute time at the Hemet Double Century which gained
her top woman and youngest female finisher. She also accomplished a
California Triple Crown that year, completing three different double
century rides. Another riding companion, Escondido's Greg Finch says, "I
began riding with Kimberlee once a month or so in 2000 as I started my
Ironman quest and from 2001 through 2004 we rode at least once a week
together. She weighs about 110 lbs. (maybe) but could hammer on a bike.
I can honestly say she was a main ingredient in my Ironman resume."
Kimberlee not only bicycled for fun and exercise, but she also wrote
about her favorite San Diego rides and had them published as
"Kimberlee's Courses" in Bicycling San Diego magazine. A couple of
long-time friends met Kimberlee through her BSD writings. When Kimberlee
wasn't bicycling she was running, competing in numerous short-distance
races as well as four Boston Marathons which she ran with her brother,
Dana. In 1996, she posted a career best marathon time of 3:08:24 in
Houston. In addition to athletics, Kimberlee traveled the world
(including Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico,
Canada, Norway, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland,
and China) and with her husband, Dan Gindling, made photos for his
travel stories. For 15 years her photographs appeared with his stories
in national publications - like Bicycling and Mountain Bike magazines --
and numerous newspapers (including the Union-Tribune). She graduated
summa cum laude with distinction from San Diego State University in 1995
and taught Spanish at Santana H.S. and West Hills H.S. in Santee. She
learned French as well as Spanish and studied Chinese to prepare for a
2007 trip. In 2000, she won that year's Spanish Embassy Grant and spent
four weeks in Spain studying the language she loved. When her cancer was
diagnosed in December, 2005, Kimberlee didn't slow down -- she sped up.
She bicycled more, ran, surfed, hiked, met with friends, threw parties
and continued to travel. During one five-day chemo cycle she hiked to
the 14,505 foot peak of Mount Whitney besting everyone in her group by
over an hour. Her zest for life, especially when she became ill,
inspired everyone she met and many people she never knew but knew about
her through her "Kimberlee Updates." The e-mail Updates became weekly
scribes of her life dealing with brain cancer underlining Kimberlee's
wit, charm, compassion, courage and especially humor. The Updates will
be assembled into a book that will be available soon. She became closer
to her family after cancer struck. Her sister, Laurie, took her on
excursions every week - to the beach, the movies, museums, or just to
the local coffee bar to talk of life -- which Kimberlee looked forward
to and cherished for every minute. Her mom and dad, Marie and Al
Caledonia, treated her to lunch, sat with her in the sun, or just talked
while she rested. Her brother Dana, a Houston dentist, visited on
numerous occasions as did her sister, Lisa, from Massachusetts. Both
kept in constant contact with Kimberlee via phone and e-mail. Her
brother Greg, who lives in San Diego, offered moral support. And her
husband Dan kept Kimberlee pursuing her passion: the bicycle. They
started on a standard tandem, then a recumbent tandem and finally a
Trailer Trike which allowed Kimberlee to continue to enjoy cycling with
Dan doing the steering and braking. Their last ride together came under
a cloudless, sunny day which brought extreme joy to them both.
"Kimberlee's Bikes for Kids," a non-profit charity, is being established
whose goal will be to supply needy San Diego children with new bicycles
so that they can enjoy bicycling as much as Kimberlee did. To find out
more or to contribute, contact Dan Gindling at dannyg@zet.com. Everyone
who was touched by Kimberlee Caledonia will never forget her. She was
caring and funny, athletic and courageous. We will all miss her and love
her, and carry on her love affair with the bicycle. Please sign the
guest book at obituaries.uniontrib.com
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on 3/30/2008.