Calene Dugard passed away in her sleep on March 1, 2026 after a four-year battle with thymic cancer. She is deeply missed.

"Callie" was born Calene Susan Johnson in Orange County, California, where she lived almost her entire life. She was a cheerleader and award-winning public speaker at Villa Park High School. Calene was also the beloved big sister to Cathy, four years her junior, and younger brother Eddie. During times of strife in the Johnson household, Callie and Cate would spend the nights sleeping in the same bed, heads and feet touching as a reminder that they were safe with one another.

Calene graduated from California State University at Long Beach and then received her master's in Social Work from USC. She would work as a social worker in the neonatal intensive care units of Martin Luther Hospital and Saddleback Memorial Hospital during her 24-year career.

On May 17, 1986, Calene met the love of her life in Martin Dugard. They married two years later and raised three sons: Devin, Connor, and Liam. Martin pursued a career as a writer and dedicated almost every one of his books to Calene. She loved music and loved to dance. Listened to Billy Joel, Counting Crows, Bruno Mars, and pretty much everything. She spoke French and played the piano. Fiercely loyal and independent, she was a true Mama Bear for her sons, always watching out for them.

The cancer diagnosis came in April 2022. Calene lost her hair as she underwent chemo and radiation treatments. She wore a beanie to conceal the loss. The only time she took it off in public was after standing in line for eight hours to pay her respects to the late Queen Elizabeth in London. Calene stood before the catafalque then removed her beanie and curtsied, knowing the images were being televised around the world. Other displays of her fearlessness came in standing atop the Golden Gate Bridge, galloping horseback across the desert sands by the Pyramids despite never before having ridden a horse, and walking the see-through glass floor of the Tower Bridge 138 feet above the Thames. Calene and Martin traveled the world together, delighting in every new adventure, even as the cancer progressed.

Her loss is felt enormously. She was a force of nature, a soulmate, a woman who loved life, and was loved in return by family and her countless friends. She was the mayor of her town, seeming to know someone wherever she went. She never complained about her illness, smiling and laughing after the most painful treatments. Right up to the end she never stopped fighting, always believing she would beat cancer. Calene Susan Johnson Dugard slipped away peacefully, lying on the sofa with Martin at her side, not making a sound as her heart stopped beating.

"She was my north, my south, my east, my west. My working week and my Sunday rest. My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song…" Now she is gone.