Roland M. Cavalier

Albany NY-Roland M. Cavalier passed away peacefully in his Albany home on Sunday, July 7th, 2024 at the age of 78, surrounded by his family. Roland is survived by his loving wife of 37 years, Jacqueline; his four sons Mark (Beth); Jason (Linda); Bryan (Betsy); Matthew (Joanna); his daughter Stephanie (Ryan FitzGerald); and six cherished grandchildren, Caroline Leigh, Caroline Ann, Andrew, William, Lila, and Avery. He is also survived by his sisters Sandra Erickson (Robert) and Letitia Cavalier, as well as his former wife, Marcia Burke Senecal. Roland is preceded in death by his parents, Nathan and Vianca Cavalier. Roland was born in Hibbing, MN on December 30th, 1945. He grew up surrounded by loving parents, grandparents and extended relatives from both Italian and Serbian backgrounds. Upon graduating from Hibbing High School, he was recruited to play varsity ice hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, where he played three years as a defenseman. At RPI, Roland was a member of Theta Xi Fraternity and forged lifelong friendships. He then earned a Juris Doctor degree at Albany Law School, graduating as class valedictorian in 1970. Roland’s career as a respected business attorney spanned nearly five decades in private practice, retiring from his last position Of Counsel at the O'Connell & Aronowitz Law Firm in Albany. His practice concentration was in corporate and contract law, business litigation, arbitration and mediation of commercial disputes, corporate acquisitions, commercial real estate, securities law, and FINRA arbitrations. He represented clients over a wide range of industries, having argued cases before the NY State Courts as well as in Federal Courts in New York, New Jersey, and Ohio. Outside of the office and courtroom, Roland was a family man with a soft spot for golden retrievers and a love of the outdoors. Following his years at RPI, Roland traded in his skates for a tennis racket, playing competitively throughout his life. He found great joy in fostering a lifelong love of tennis in each of his sons, although his daughter, Stephanie preferred the pool. He was also an avid bicyclist for years and spent many weekends hiking in the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains. No family hike was complete without a coffee milkshake at the end. Roland was happiest surrounded by his cherished wife, family, dog, and friends, with the occassional bourbon old-fashioned in hand. He loved any Robert De Niro movie, a great history book, lawyer jokes (the cheesier the better), a spirited debate, reading the weekly Barron’s Magazine, and armchair coaching his favorite sports teams, the Minnesota Vikings and the Yankees. True to his Italian heritage, countless family celebrations took place at the Caffé Italia, where he had shared a cappuccino with his wife Jackie on one of their first dates. Roland’s loved ones are invited to visit with his family on Sunday, July 21st from 3:00 – 6:00pm at McVeigh Funeral Home, 208 North Allen Street, Albany, NY 12206. Please enter the funeral home from the rear parking lot entrance only. His Funeral Mass will take place on Monday, July 22nd at 11:00am at St. Pius X Church in Loudonville, NY. An internment at Albany Rural Cemetery will be held at a later date. To leave a message for the family, please visit www.McveighFuneralHome.com In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Roland’s memory to The Alzheimer’s Association Northeastern New York Chapter and sent to: Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York, 1003 Loudon Road, Cohoes, NY 12047. https://www.alz.org/northeasternny/about_us/contact_us

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Roland M. Cavalier

December 30, 1945 - July 7, 2024