Charles Reeve Life Sketch (by Derral & Family)
February 17, 2022
Charles Henry Reeve was born May 21, 1956, in Brewster, Washington to Charles Leslie Reeve and Helen Inez Lamberton Reeve. He had five older siblings, Joy, Charlene, Donavan, Barbara, and Derral. Two younger brothers, Harold and John, came later.
All of the Reeve children were survivors in many ways, and Charles was no exception. He survived two cases of measles, a case of mumps, and rheumatic fever, all by the age of two, which permanently weakened his heart. He also fell off a dresser around the same time, which left a permanent bump on his head. (His daughter liked to tease him that he wouldn't have been a full 6ft 2in tall if it weren't for that bump making him taller!)
Derral (Dubin) was only 17 months older than Chuckie, as he was nicknamed, and the two grew up as best friends and competed with each other most of their growing up years.
Rock Throwing
Many times, the family would take vacations or Sabbath afternoon drives. During these times, Dad would stop to let the kids exercise or do some activity. On one of these times, he stopped with the family by the side of the river and let them all walk down across the pebbles, where they began throwing rocks into the river. Chuckie became very engrossed in this activity, and when the family returned to the car, continued throwing rocks. His siblings and mother were yelling at him to come with the family, but he ignored them. Finally, in exasperation, his dad yelled, “Chuckie, we’re leaving now! Goodbye!” At which, Chuckie calmly turned and waved goodbye, and went back to throwing rocks. (see picture)
Red Coat & Bull
Dubin and Chuckie wanted to go on a picnic. So their mom made them a sack lunch and they started up the hill through the apple orchards. Leaving the orchards, they entered a pasture with several cows and a bull. Chuckie was wearing his red hooded coat and Dubin had a green one. Noticing the bull, they became afraid that the bull might charge the red jacket, so they began to hurry across the pasture, with Dubin trying to hide Chuckie from the bull by standing between them. They scurried to the fence and climbed through it to safety.
They hiked across the side of the mountain to Berryman Park, where they sat on the bluff looking out over the Columbia River and Chief Joseph Dam and ate their lunch.
Needless to say, on the way back, they went home the other direction. They walked through the park, past the World War II military display of planes, tanks, and missiles instead.
For some reason, he seemed to have an affinity for wearing green from then after. (Red was ok for others to wear, but he didn’t want it seen on him.)
Mulberries
The family often drove to Kansas during the summer to visit Reeve relatives. During one of those trips, cousin Lamar took Dubin and Chuckie with him back to his home from the church, to pick up something his wife, Henrietta, had left. As they got out, Dubin and Chuckie noticed some trees with little purple berries on them, and Lamar told them were Mulberries. Of course, they wanted to know if the berries were good to eat. He said yes, as he went into the house to get his things. So Dubin and Chuckie decided to try the berries. They climbed the fence to reach them and began to eat. Soon they turned purple—all over their hands, their mouths, and their best white church shirts. Needless to say, when they got back to the church, their mother was not very happy, and Lamar just laughed.
Walking Home From School
When Chuckie was in first grade, at the Brewster Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School, the first and second graders would get out of school earlier than the older grades. Many days, Chuckie and Dubin would walk to his Grandma Lamberton’s house, about a mile away to wait for their older siblings. One day, while they were walking to Grandma’s house, Chuckie told Dubin that he was going to walk home. Home was in Bridgeport, WA, which was 13 miles away! Dubin tried to discourage him, but with his stubbornness and perseverance about accomplishing things, he didn’t stop at Grandma’s but continued on across the Columbia River, over the bridge and out across the Brewster Flats. He had made it about halfway home, when the rest of the family caught up with him in the car after the older kids had got out of school, and they had picked up Dubin at Grandma’s.
Spray Plane
One Sabbath after church, when the family drove home from Brewster to Bridgeport, they observed an airplane spraying the apple orchards. Uncle Clark and his family were visiting from Thailand and came to the Reeve’s home for lunch. Some of the kids talked Dad into taking them from the house to look at the airplane. So Dad took Judy Lamberton, Bubby, Dubin, and Chuckie up the hill to take some pictures of the spray plane. The small group watched as the plane came directly toward them spraying the DDT over the crop, with the overspray landing on them as it went by. So much for government regulations in the early 1960s.
Falling Out of the Car
One Sunday, the family was planning to go to Grandma Lamberton’s house from Bridgeport to Brewster. Mother was driving, as Dad was on a house call. About a block and a half from the house, while making a left turn, Chuckie was leaning against the door as Mom quickly turned the corner. The door was either not completely latched, or Chuckie leaned against the handle and the centrifugal force threw the door open and Chuckie was thrown onto the pavement at 25 miles an hour. He was not seriously injured, but when they got to Grandpa and Grandma’s house, he sat by Grandpa and was doctored up.
Car Jumping
Next door neighbors of the family love to talk about their memories watching Chuckie and his older siblings jumping on the family car as if it were a trampoline. Once the car was thoroughly dented, the kids would climb inside, push the top back up with a bang, and start their jumping all over again!
Moving to Nebraska, 1963
Chuckie./, had just turned seven, when the family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1963. They first moved to 5350 Cooper, and rented a house until Thanksgiving. While living there, the family bought their first horse, called Pamper. She had been Nebraska’s champion barrel racer earlier, but was very gentle and loving with the kids.
Runaway Horse
After moving from the Cooper street house to some acreage on 56th street, they got several other horses. Horse riding became a favorite activity of the family. On one of these horse rides, Dubin was riding Pamper, and Chuckie was riding Saint. Something spooked Saint and he took off running straight towards an electrical power tower. He took Chuckie for a scary ride, as he jumped through one side of the tower and out the other side. Pamper seemed to know what to do, and she took off with Dubin and ran around and got in front of Saint and stopped short, making Saint pull to a stop. This was one time when it seemed like the angels were using Pamper to protect the boys.
Ice Skating to School
56th street was a dirt road when the family moved there. One winter, there was a bad ice storm that completely covered the gravel with an inch or two of ice. So Chuckie and Dubin decided to have an adventure and they ice skated the mile and a quarter to school over the gravel road.
Cowboys and Indians
Since horseback riding was one of the favorite activities of the boys during the years, they liked to play cowboys and Indians. Sometimes they would pretend to shoot each other, and the other would fall off the horse—whether they were galloping or not. It’s a wonder that no one was seriously injured during this activity!
Water Skiing Accident
Chuck loved the outdoors and any activity that was involved with it. He loved swimming, canoeing, and all water sports. One time at a church campout at Camp Arrowhead, he was learning to slalom water ski on a lake about the size of a large pond. He was doing well until he rounded the corner sharply, just past the diving boards, and swung wide towards the north side of the body of water. As he swung around, he went too wide, skied up onto the sand, and catapulted into a front roll out of the water ski.
Walking with a Cast
When Chuck was in 6th grade, his left knee began to bother him while he was walking and running. So his Dad X-rayed it and determined that he had a separated patella, which was commonly termed a lifted knee cap. Dad put him in a full length cast, from his thigh to his ankle. One day, while still in the cast, the boys were dropped off at the Wilson’s farm about six miles from his house. After playing for a while, they decided it was time to go home. Since their ride was not there yet, Derral and Chuck decided to walk home. So with his leg in a full cast, he peg legged the six miles home, with the determination that helped him to be successful his whole life.
Girl-Hater Club
Another active part of Chuck’s life was his girl hating years. Around 6th or 7th grade, for some reason, Chuck decided he didn’t want anything to do with girls. He began to actively “hate” girls. During this phase of his life, he was known to chase girls who came to ride horses with his brother Derral, and threw dried horse manure at them. Chuck always said that they were trying to kiss him and it made him mad. This phase continued until early high school. After he grew out of hating girls, he became a pure gentleman to the ladies, which lasted the rest of his life.
Running with Weights
Whenever Chuck embarked on an endeavor, whether it was physical, mental, or spiritual, he entered it with all of his energy and heart. About 8th or 9th grade, he decided he wanted to build up his running and endurance. So he purchased a set of ankle weights, which he wore consistently as he went running. During his life, he was very physically fit.
Gymnastic Tours
Chuck joined gymnastics and worked diligently at it all through high school. He really enjoyed the rings and became proficient on that apparatus. Each year, he was able to participate in the tours throughout the Central and Northern Unions, as the College View Academy Gymnastics Team presented demonstrations and clinics.
The team would travel to various Seventh-day Adventist Academies and put on not only gymnastics programs, but also provide spiritual activities and worships at the schools. Chuck was a very integral part of the spiritual team that shared the love of Jesus. He loved to tell what Jesus meant in his life and encouraged the audiences or congregations to choose eternal life. His brother Derral and friend Dennis Gorton were both on the team with him and they became very close through these years as they performed together.
Dating Joni
When Derral was a freshman in high school, he purchased a 1953 Plymouth from his science teacher, Duane McKee for $45. Chuck and Dennis helped him paint it like a flag with the hood being blue with 13 white stars, and from the front doors back, 13 red and white stripes. This car became an integral part of their activities in the next 3 years.
Since it was his car, Derral always drove the three of them to all their activities. During his sophomore year, Dennis began to date Joni Baker. Since he didn’t have a car, they always rode with Derral and Chuck to the activities. So for about two years, the three boys “dated” Joni! Since she lived closer to the Reeve home than Dennis did, often Derral, Chuck and Joni would drop Dennis off first, before Derral and Chuck took Joni home.
One night, after dropping Dennis off, they were heading to Joni’s house, when they saw light in the sky. Joni said, “What’s that?” So they began to follow it. They soon realized it was a police helicopter with a spotlight, which soon turned the spotlight on them as they followed it. Feeling silly, they turned back and took Joni home.
Singing in the Trio
Music was an important part of Chuck’s life. During their elementary years, Dubin and Chuckie would spend many Sundays singing special music at the Sunday services at Homestead Nursing Home. They also enjoyed spending many hours singing along with the record player while listening to the Arizona Boys Choir singing western songs.
One of Chuck’s favorite activities in the winter time, centered around the church’s program of ingathering, collecting funds for disaster relief victims around the world. His Mom would solicit the funds at the door, while Chuck and his siblings and anyone else who wanted to join them, would sing Christmas carols at the door. His Dad always followed with the car, keeping the pamphlets for supplies available. Every year, for 14 years, the family did the same neighborhood in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a result, the people would begin to look forward to the family coming and many would invite them inside to sing an extra song and give them hot Chocolate and Christmas treats.
During highschool years, Chuck, Dennis, and Derral purchased musical instruments to form a singing trio. Dennis and Derral each got guitars, but Chuck got a banjo because he wanted to be different. They began to emulate the music of the Wedgwood Trio and sang for many places, including the youth department at camp meetings.
Summer Camp Experiences
Another favorite time in Chuck’s life, is when he participated at the Seventh-day Adventist Summer Camp. He spent time both going to camp as a camper and working at camp as a staff. He really enjoyed working as a wrangler with the horses, and some of his most enjoyable times were the early morning rides with the staff before the campers awoke. He also spent some time counseling young people. He tried to make their program spiritually strong as he shared Jesus with them at the cabin worships.
Chuck was a strict counselor. When a camper would misbehave or not settle down at night, he would make them do what he called, the dying cockroach pose. This consisted of the camper laying on their back and holding their arms and legs up in the air for a designated time. One day, Chuck walked into the cabin and found all of his campers waiting for him with pillows and they all ganged up on him! He grabbed one of the pillows and single handedly knocked them all over, and then made all of them do the dying cockroach for 20 minutes!
Moving to California and Starting College
During the summer of 1974, Chuck, his parents, and his two younger brothers, Harold and John moved to Cloverdale, California. He enrolled at Pacific Union College in Angwin, CA to take nursing.
Backpacking
During the mid 70’s Chuck loved backpacking in the mountains around central California. His brother John once went backpacking with him and a group of friends. Chuck decided to pack a large watermelon in the bottom of his backpack. John took Chuck’s clothes in his pack, to give him the space. He hiked three days with that watermelon, and every night he’d put it in a stream to keep it cool. Every day, Chuck and John taunted their friends by talking about how wonderful it would be to eat a fresh slice of juicy watermelon, while they munched on their dried backpacking food.
On the third day, Chuck ran ahead and hid the watermelon in the stream. When they all got to the stream, everyone was shocked to find a watermelon! It was well enjoyed by all!
100-Mile-Run
Another backpacking trip story was when Chuck was about 20 years old. He loved to tell this story to Kristina ever since she was a little girl. Chuck and a group of friends decided to go on a 10 day backpacking trip. However, Chuck couldn’t get 10 days off work, so he only could go part way with them. He went the first 100 miles with them, then turned around and was planning to take a shortcut back to his car to make it to work. Unfortunately, he missed the turn-off for the short-cut, and realized he had two days to get the 100 miles back to his car in order to make it to work in time! He ran 50 miles a day, with his pack, and got back to his car just in time to drive straight to work. Of course, he looked like a caveman, unshaven and smelled like the outdoors, in addition to driving a beat up car. He had fun explaining to the policeman who pulled him over at 3am that he was just on his way to work at the hospital!
College Adventures
Living in the Men’s dorm was a unique experience for Chuck. He’d lived at home all through high school, so his freshman year of college was his first time in a dorm. Of course, when guys get together, they always want to compete. So now Chuck didn’t have just Derral to compete with, but a whole dorm full of guys! As young men tend to do, they would brag on how well they could do things. One of the young men was bragging how fast he could run up and down the stairs of the dorm. So the competition began. For the next two years in the dorm, Chuck was the reigning champion on how fast he could go up and down those stairs.
Chuck had a roommate named Arnie who was quite the prankster, and Chuck was always ready to help out. Arnie got the bright idea to invite a few girls over for a lasagna dinner. When the girls arrived, Chuck and Arnie informed the girls that they were serving lasagna, with a few substitutions: bread, instead of noodles, peanut butter, instead of sauce, and jam, instead of cheese—peanut butter sandwiches. Later, the girls got back at Arnie by throwing him into a swimming pool. So Arnie came to Chuck for advice on how to get back at the girls. Chuck told him that his sister Charlene had baked ExLax in her brownies to keep the guys from eating then. So Chuck helped Arnie bake ExLax brownies for the girls!
Life Sketch of Charles Reeve from 1978-2019
In November, 1978, Charles met Susan Marsh (his future wife) at Pacific Union College. They both worked part-time in the Student Health Clinic while going to college. Charles was an RN and Susan did medical secretarial work. He liked to say that he ran off with his secretary!
On March 3, 1979, Susan took advantage of reverse weekend and asked Charles for their first date--to go ice skating, which he was very good at and loved to do. Although he told Susan that he wasn’t interested in furthering a relationship that evening, it didn’t stop her from being friends. Two months later, he said he would like a serious relationship, because he knew she was the one for him.
After graduating from PUC, Susan went to Kettering College of Medical Arts in OH to take nursing and Charles went to Southern University College in TN to get is BS degree in nursing. He drove from TN to OH numerous times to work at Kettering College of Medical Arts, and spend a few hours with Susan on some weekends and during the summer. They wrote lots of letters to each other during that time.
On June 15, 1980 (Father’s day) they were engaged with the approval of Susan’s father. After graduation, they got married in Ukiah, CA on August 9, 1981.
They both worked at St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park, CA. Charles worked in ICU/PAR and enjoyed his work, but he wanted to go on to be an optometrist because he wouldn’t have to be on call and he could be with the family more.
Mid July, 1982 they moved to Memphis, TN where Charles worked in the Emergency Room at Methodist Hospital while waiting to be accepted at Southern College of Optometry. He loved being a trauma nurse and was very good at it. He also enjoyed being the flight nurse in the helicopter.
Charles was very dedicated, devoted, and an active member of his church. He served the church in many ways during his life, including serving as an elder, head elder, deacon, assistant division leader for cradle roll, primary division teacher, adult sabbath school teacher, choral director, choir member, band player, and even preached a few sermons.
Charles & Susan taught nutrition/cooking classes together. They loved teaching how to eat whole grains, low sugar, low fat, and simply prepared foods. Charles loved to do health talks on the importance of exercise, water, appropriate sleep, sunshine, temperance, fresh air, and trust in the Lord. They inspired one couple to start a Country Life Restaurant in Memphis, TN that operated for several years.
On June 30, 1983, their precious, healthy daughter, Kristina Rosanne, was born and on August 31, 1985, a healthy son, Erick Christopher, was born. Charles was so proud to be a father of a son, as well, as a daughter.
Charles was a helpful, compassionate, caring, and a very loving father. He just wished he could be home more with the children and Susan. He started Southern College of Optometry a few weeks after Erick was born and graduated with his Doctor of Optometry June, 1989.
The family took a two month trip travelling through 22 states, and decided to settle in Spokane, WA. Chuck purchased a small optometry practice, and worked part-time at St. Luke’s Hospital as RN.
Charles loved spending time with his family doing things outdoors: swimming, camping, hiking, biking, and backpacking. They even ran in the Bloomsday Race together as a family--7.5 run/walk.
Music continued to be an important part of his life. Once a month they would go to sing at nursing homes. He sang tenor in the Upper Columbia Conference Abundant Life Singers for a couple years. Charles helped out with singing scripture songs for several CD recordings. He put a lot of expression into his singing and you could tell it was coming from his heart. He did a great job in being choir director, also.
Charles went on two mission trips as an optometrist. He and Susan took their church youth group on a mission trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica. They helped with evangelistic meetings, did health talks, opened a health clinic, and did some scuba diving and snorkeling. Charles examined eyes and Susan dispensed used prescription glasses to the needy people. His second trip was to Belize. Charles would tell you the most rewarding part of the trips were when the people would get so excited when they put their glasses on and shouted, “I can read my Bible now!”
October 12, 1992, Charles and Susan made a decision to move to the country. It looked totally impossible, but they stepped out in faith and knew it was the best for the children. They sold their home and optometry practice and moved.
They loved their first rental home in Addy, WA. It had 40 acres and hiking right out their back door. Charles got lots of practice using a chain saw and finding slash piles. He cut about nine cords of wood for one winter. They had a nice garden that produced well and very helpful neighbors. They had a lynx, skunks, gophers, and stray cats that caused some excitement, also.
November, 1994 Charles purchased a tiny optometry practice in the small town of Kettle Falls and a few weeks later, the family moved to their own country home in Colville, WA. Charles had some excitement getting the moving truck up a mile long driveway covered in ice and snow. Kristina remembers being with him as his car got stuck on the way back from returning the truck. God sent angels in the form of two Irish men to come and push them out of the ditch!
June, 1996, Susan’s Dad (Grandpa) came to live with them in their small 14x70 mobile home. He had progressive ataxia, broke his hip and needed full time care. So it was time to build a house! That winter broke the record for the most snowfall in the past 20 years. The total accumulation that winter was 11 feet.
One Saturday night, a strong wind and rain began and there were loud noises that sounded like the trusses were breaking. Charles and Susan ran up to hold the tarps, knock off snow, and pray. Charles said that it reminded him of the storm the disciples experienced when Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat. God answered their prayers and the wind and rain soon stopped and nothing was damaged. Praise the Lord again!
May 25, 1997, they moved into the house, and appreciated the space! Charles learned a lot and did very well with finishing the inside of the house, along with the help of friends and family. His favorite part was being on the tractor! He loved mowing, tilling, and digging--anything to be on his tractor! Sometimes he invented ways that his tractor could “help” with a project, just to get the tractor out again!
Fridays were usually his days off with the family, and he often would work on projects around the house. It never failed-- something would go wrong every time. He would be missing a tool, or something would break, or nothing would go as planned, and he’d be racing to get done before sunset. The most common challenge was water or plumbing issues. It became a running joke in the family--and with the neighbors, “Never start a water project on Friday!”
Charles loved to kayak! In 2007, he and Susan were caught in a storm on a large lake in British Columbia. Their kayak rental was a racer, very low with no skirt. There were white capped waves splashing over the front onto Susan’s lap. They were trying to cross over to the other side of the lake because it was almost time to return the kayak. Water filled the kayak and they capsized and signaled for help with their paddles. A boat soon came and rescued them. Three years later, they bought their own tandem kayak and experienced another storm on the same lake, but this time they did not capsize!
In 2006, he started building a smaller house next door. This was one of his biggest accomplishments. His favorite part was the cement work because he did a lot of that during his high school and college years.
One of Charles’ favorite stories was about their 25th Anniversary. They had planned to go out to eat that evening after work, but Susan was going past the apple trees and she heard a crunching sound. She looked up into the tree and saw it covered with caterpillars! There were eight other trees that were covered, also. So they spent their anniversary destroying hundreds of caterpillars! He always joked that he spent their 25th anniversary picking worms!
In 2009, the biggest highlights were their daughter Kristina's marriage to Daniel McFeeters and a backpacking trip with Erick in the Cabinet Mountains in Montana.
Charles loved horses. Even though he never owned any of his own after he and Susan got married, every time he saw a horse, he would wave to it, say “hi,” and whinney or feed it some grass.
In January, 2011, God spared his life during a widowmaker heart attack, and gave him another eight years. He recovered fairly quickly. Seven months later, he climbed Mt. Glory in British Columbia--11 miles round trip! He also hiked a couple other mountains over the next few years.
August, 2013, Charles and Susan moved to Whitley City, KY to be closer to their daughter, Kristina. A few months later, Kristina opened a restaurant, Kristina’s Kitchen. Charles did well working there, chopping vegetables, washing dishes, waiting on tables, and greeting the customers. His friendly smile, enthusiasm, kindness, and cheerfulness were a blessing to everyone. He loved sharing the Lord with others. He would share from his studies of Daniel and Revelation that Jesus is coming very soon to take His people home.
January, 2015, Charles and Susan flew to Thailand to be at their son’s wedding! Erick married Jonalyn, who was also a missionary at Sunshine Orchards and Learning Center in Thailand.
After two years in the kitchen, Charles started working part time again as an optometrist.
Charles and Susan had their “first real vacation since their honeymoon” during the summer of 2018. They enjoyed the beach, water, and sunshine at Hilton Head Island, SC. It was the most relaxing time, so warm, peaceful and beautiful.
Charles started a new job November 5, 2018. He did his best, but his body said no more. He began having afternoon fevers and a dry cough. He came home January 2, 2019, with both legs and feet doubled in size. His lab work showed that he had several things going on, but the doctors were most concerned about his heart.
On January 24, 2019, Dr. Wilkens let him know that he had end stage heart failure and would be eligible for hospice. That was a shock, but he was at peace, because he trusted God knew what was best and he was ready. Charles would say frequently during the last few weeks that he wanted “Christ in me, the hope of glory.”
Susan shares that Charles was given a “new heart and a new spirit”, as promised in Ezekiel 36:26. His prayers changed into a more fervent talk with God. He was a wonderful husband, but he became more loving, caring, kind-hearted and considerate, than ever before. His attention was off himself and he thought of others even more. He expressed his gratitude and love to Susan many times throughout the day and appreciated the great care of his “super nurse”. Their hearts were bound in the golden bonds of a love that is enduring. Christ gave Charles and Susan much grace, strength, and peace during this special time together.
Are we willing to submit our hearts completely to God, to have faith and obedience, and are we ready to face our loving Savior? We look forward to seeing Charles with a new body when Jesus comes to take His people home with Him. And he wants to see each one of you in heaven, also. That will be such a blessed and joyful reunion!
All of the Reeve children were survivors in many ways, and Charles was no exception. He survived two cases of measles, a case of mumps, and rheumatic fever, all by the age of two, which permanently weakened his heart. He also fell off a dresser around the same time, which left a permanent bump on his head. (His daughter liked to tease him that he wouldn't have been a full 6ft 2in tall if it weren't for that bump making him taller!)
Derral (Dubin) was only 17 months older than Chuckie, as he was nicknamed, and the two grew up as best friends and competed with each other most of their growing up years.
Rock Throwing
Many times, the family would take vacations or Sabbath afternoon drives. During these times, Dad would stop to let the kids exercise or do some activity. On one of these times, he stopped with the family by the side of the river and let them all walk down across the pebbles, where they began throwing rocks into the river. Chuckie became very engrossed in this activity, and when the family returned to the car, continued throwing rocks. His siblings and mother were yelling at him to come with the family, but he ignored them. Finally, in exasperation, his dad yelled, “Chuckie, we’re leaving now! Goodbye!” At which, Chuckie calmly turned and waved goodbye, and went back to throwing rocks. (see picture)
Red Coat & Bull
Dubin and Chuckie wanted to go on a picnic. So their mom made them a sack lunch and they started up the hill through the apple orchards. Leaving the orchards, they entered a pasture with several cows and a bull. Chuckie was wearing his red hooded coat and Dubin had a green one. Noticing the bull, they became afraid that the bull might charge the red jacket, so they began to hurry across the pasture, with Dubin trying to hide Chuckie from the bull by standing between them. They scurried to the fence and climbed through it to safety.
They hiked across the side of the mountain to Berryman Park, where they sat on the bluff looking out over the Columbia River and Chief Joseph Dam and ate their lunch.
Needless to say, on the way back, they went home the other direction. They walked through the park, past the World War II military display of planes, tanks, and missiles instead.
For some reason, he seemed to have an affinity for wearing green from then after. (Red was ok for others to wear, but he didn’t want it seen on him.)
Mulberries
The family often drove to Kansas during the summer to visit Reeve relatives. During one of those trips, cousin Lamar took Dubin and Chuckie with him back to his home from the church, to pick up something his wife, Henrietta, had left. As they got out, Dubin and Chuckie noticed some trees with little purple berries on them, and Lamar told them were Mulberries. Of course, they wanted to know if the berries were good to eat. He said yes, as he went into the house to get his things. So Dubin and Chuckie decided to try the berries. They climbed the fence to reach them and began to eat. Soon they turned purple—all over their hands, their mouths, and their best white church shirts. Needless to say, when they got back to the church, their mother was not very happy, and Lamar just laughed.
Walking Home From School
When Chuckie was in first grade, at the Brewster Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School, the first and second graders would get out of school earlier than the older grades. Many days, Chuckie and Dubin would walk to his Grandma Lamberton’s house, about a mile away to wait for their older siblings. One day, while they were walking to Grandma’s house, Chuckie told Dubin that he was going to walk home. Home was in Bridgeport, WA, which was 13 miles away! Dubin tried to discourage him, but with his stubbornness and perseverance about accomplishing things, he didn’t stop at Grandma’s but continued on across the Columbia River, over the bridge and out across the Brewster Flats. He had made it about halfway home, when the rest of the family caught up with him in the car after the older kids had got out of school, and they had picked up Dubin at Grandma’s.
Spray Plane
One Sabbath after church, when the family drove home from Brewster to Bridgeport, they observed an airplane spraying the apple orchards. Uncle Clark and his family were visiting from Thailand and came to the Reeve’s home for lunch. Some of the kids talked Dad into taking them from the house to look at the airplane. So Dad took Judy Lamberton, Bubby, Dubin, and Chuckie up the hill to take some pictures of the spray plane. The small group watched as the plane came directly toward them spraying the DDT over the crop, with the overspray landing on them as it went by. So much for government regulations in the early 1960s.
Falling Out of the Car
One Sunday, the family was planning to go to Grandma Lamberton’s house from Bridgeport to Brewster. Mother was driving, as Dad was on a house call. About a block and a half from the house, while making a left turn, Chuckie was leaning against the door as Mom quickly turned the corner. The door was either not completely latched, or Chuckie leaned against the handle and the centrifugal force threw the door open and Chuckie was thrown onto the pavement at 25 miles an hour. He was not seriously injured, but when they got to Grandpa and Grandma’s house, he sat by Grandpa and was doctored up.
Car Jumping
Next door neighbors of the family love to talk about their memories watching Chuckie and his older siblings jumping on the family car as if it were a trampoline. Once the car was thoroughly dented, the kids would climb inside, push the top back up with a bang, and start their jumping all over again!
Moving to Nebraska, 1963
Chuckie./, had just turned seven, when the family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1963. They first moved to 5350 Cooper, and rented a house until Thanksgiving. While living there, the family bought their first horse, called Pamper. She had been Nebraska’s champion barrel racer earlier, but was very gentle and loving with the kids.
Runaway Horse
After moving from the Cooper street house to some acreage on 56th street, they got several other horses. Horse riding became a favorite activity of the family. On one of these horse rides, Dubin was riding Pamper, and Chuckie was riding Saint. Something spooked Saint and he took off running straight towards an electrical power tower. He took Chuckie for a scary ride, as he jumped through one side of the tower and out the other side. Pamper seemed to know what to do, and she took off with Dubin and ran around and got in front of Saint and stopped short, making Saint pull to a stop. This was one time when it seemed like the angels were using Pamper to protect the boys.
Ice Skating to School
56th street was a dirt road when the family moved there. One winter, there was a bad ice storm that completely covered the gravel with an inch or two of ice. So Chuckie and Dubin decided to have an adventure and they ice skated the mile and a quarter to school over the gravel road.
Cowboys and Indians
Since horseback riding was one of the favorite activities of the boys during the years, they liked to play cowboys and Indians. Sometimes they would pretend to shoot each other, and the other would fall off the horse—whether they were galloping or not. It’s a wonder that no one was seriously injured during this activity!
Water Skiing Accident
Chuck loved the outdoors and any activity that was involved with it. He loved swimming, canoeing, and all water sports. One time at a church campout at Camp Arrowhead, he was learning to slalom water ski on a lake about the size of a large pond. He was doing well until he rounded the corner sharply, just past the diving boards, and swung wide towards the north side of the body of water. As he swung around, he went too wide, skied up onto the sand, and catapulted into a front roll out of the water ski.
Walking with a Cast
When Chuck was in 6th grade, his left knee began to bother him while he was walking and running. So his Dad X-rayed it and determined that he had a separated patella, which was commonly termed a lifted knee cap. Dad put him in a full length cast, from his thigh to his ankle. One day, while still in the cast, the boys were dropped off at the Wilson’s farm about six miles from his house. After playing for a while, they decided it was time to go home. Since their ride was not there yet, Derral and Chuck decided to walk home. So with his leg in a full cast, he peg legged the six miles home, with the determination that helped him to be successful his whole life.
Girl-Hater Club
Another active part of Chuck’s life was his girl hating years. Around 6th or 7th grade, for some reason, Chuck decided he didn’t want anything to do with girls. He began to actively “hate” girls. During this phase of his life, he was known to chase girls who came to ride horses with his brother Derral, and threw dried horse manure at them. Chuck always said that they were trying to kiss him and it made him mad. This phase continued until early high school. After he grew out of hating girls, he became a pure gentleman to the ladies, which lasted the rest of his life.
Running with Weights
Whenever Chuck embarked on an endeavor, whether it was physical, mental, or spiritual, he entered it with all of his energy and heart. About 8th or 9th grade, he decided he wanted to build up his running and endurance. So he purchased a set of ankle weights, which he wore consistently as he went running. During his life, he was very physically fit.
Gymnastic Tours
Chuck joined gymnastics and worked diligently at it all through high school. He really enjoyed the rings and became proficient on that apparatus. Each year, he was able to participate in the tours throughout the Central and Northern Unions, as the College View Academy Gymnastics Team presented demonstrations and clinics.
The team would travel to various Seventh-day Adventist Academies and put on not only gymnastics programs, but also provide spiritual activities and worships at the schools. Chuck was a very integral part of the spiritual team that shared the love of Jesus. He loved to tell what Jesus meant in his life and encouraged the audiences or congregations to choose eternal life. His brother Derral and friend Dennis Gorton were both on the team with him and they became very close through these years as they performed together.
Dating Joni
When Derral was a freshman in high school, he purchased a 1953 Plymouth from his science teacher, Duane McKee for $45. Chuck and Dennis helped him paint it like a flag with the hood being blue with 13 white stars, and from the front doors back, 13 red and white stripes. This car became an integral part of their activities in the next 3 years.
Since it was his car, Derral always drove the three of them to all their activities. During his sophomore year, Dennis began to date Joni Baker. Since he didn’t have a car, they always rode with Derral and Chuck to the activities. So for about two years, the three boys “dated” Joni! Since she lived closer to the Reeve home than Dennis did, often Derral, Chuck and Joni would drop Dennis off first, before Derral and Chuck took Joni home.
One night, after dropping Dennis off, they were heading to Joni’s house, when they saw light in the sky. Joni said, “What’s that?” So they began to follow it. They soon realized it was a police helicopter with a spotlight, which soon turned the spotlight on them as they followed it. Feeling silly, they turned back and took Joni home.
Singing in the Trio
Music was an important part of Chuck’s life. During their elementary years, Dubin and Chuckie would spend many Sundays singing special music at the Sunday services at Homestead Nursing Home. They also enjoyed spending many hours singing along with the record player while listening to the Arizona Boys Choir singing western songs.
One of Chuck’s favorite activities in the winter time, centered around the church’s program of ingathering, collecting funds for disaster relief victims around the world. His Mom would solicit the funds at the door, while Chuck and his siblings and anyone else who wanted to join them, would sing Christmas carols at the door. His Dad always followed with the car, keeping the pamphlets for supplies available. Every year, for 14 years, the family did the same neighborhood in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a result, the people would begin to look forward to the family coming and many would invite them inside to sing an extra song and give them hot Chocolate and Christmas treats.
During highschool years, Chuck, Dennis, and Derral purchased musical instruments to form a singing trio. Dennis and Derral each got guitars, but Chuck got a banjo because he wanted to be different. They began to emulate the music of the Wedgwood Trio and sang for many places, including the youth department at camp meetings.
Summer Camp Experiences
Another favorite time in Chuck’s life, is when he participated at the Seventh-day Adventist Summer Camp. He spent time both going to camp as a camper and working at camp as a staff. He really enjoyed working as a wrangler with the horses, and some of his most enjoyable times were the early morning rides with the staff before the campers awoke. He also spent some time counseling young people. He tried to make their program spiritually strong as he shared Jesus with them at the cabin worships.
Chuck was a strict counselor. When a camper would misbehave or not settle down at night, he would make them do what he called, the dying cockroach pose. This consisted of the camper laying on their back and holding their arms and legs up in the air for a designated time. One day, Chuck walked into the cabin and found all of his campers waiting for him with pillows and they all ganged up on him! He grabbed one of the pillows and single handedly knocked them all over, and then made all of them do the dying cockroach for 20 minutes!
Moving to California and Starting College
During the summer of 1974, Chuck, his parents, and his two younger brothers, Harold and John moved to Cloverdale, California. He enrolled at Pacific Union College in Angwin, CA to take nursing.
Backpacking
During the mid 70’s Chuck loved backpacking in the mountains around central California. His brother John once went backpacking with him and a group of friends. Chuck decided to pack a large watermelon in the bottom of his backpack. John took Chuck’s clothes in his pack, to give him the space. He hiked three days with that watermelon, and every night he’d put it in a stream to keep it cool. Every day, Chuck and John taunted their friends by talking about how wonderful it would be to eat a fresh slice of juicy watermelon, while they munched on their dried backpacking food.
On the third day, Chuck ran ahead and hid the watermelon in the stream. When they all got to the stream, everyone was shocked to find a watermelon! It was well enjoyed by all!
100-Mile-Run
Another backpacking trip story was when Chuck was about 20 years old. He loved to tell this story to Kristina ever since she was a little girl. Chuck and a group of friends decided to go on a 10 day backpacking trip. However, Chuck couldn’t get 10 days off work, so he only could go part way with them. He went the first 100 miles with them, then turned around and was planning to take a shortcut back to his car to make it to work. Unfortunately, he missed the turn-off for the short-cut, and realized he had two days to get the 100 miles back to his car in order to make it to work in time! He ran 50 miles a day, with his pack, and got back to his car just in time to drive straight to work. Of course, he looked like a caveman, unshaven and smelled like the outdoors, in addition to driving a beat up car. He had fun explaining to the policeman who pulled him over at 3am that he was just on his way to work at the hospital!
College Adventures
Living in the Men’s dorm was a unique experience for Chuck. He’d lived at home all through high school, so his freshman year of college was his first time in a dorm. Of course, when guys get together, they always want to compete. So now Chuck didn’t have just Derral to compete with, but a whole dorm full of guys! As young men tend to do, they would brag on how well they could do things. One of the young men was bragging how fast he could run up and down the stairs of the dorm. So the competition began. For the next two years in the dorm, Chuck was the reigning champion on how fast he could go up and down those stairs.
Chuck had a roommate named Arnie who was quite the prankster, and Chuck was always ready to help out. Arnie got the bright idea to invite a few girls over for a lasagna dinner. When the girls arrived, Chuck and Arnie informed the girls that they were serving lasagna, with a few substitutions: bread, instead of noodles, peanut butter, instead of sauce, and jam, instead of cheese—peanut butter sandwiches. Later, the girls got back at Arnie by throwing him into a swimming pool. So Arnie came to Chuck for advice on how to get back at the girls. Chuck told him that his sister Charlene had baked ExLax in her brownies to keep the guys from eating then. So Chuck helped Arnie bake ExLax brownies for the girls!
Life Sketch of Charles Reeve from 1978-2019
In November, 1978, Charles met Susan Marsh (his future wife) at Pacific Union College. They both worked part-time in the Student Health Clinic while going to college. Charles was an RN and Susan did medical secretarial work. He liked to say that he ran off with his secretary!
On March 3, 1979, Susan took advantage of reverse weekend and asked Charles for their first date--to go ice skating, which he was very good at and loved to do. Although he told Susan that he wasn’t interested in furthering a relationship that evening, it didn’t stop her from being friends. Two months later, he said he would like a serious relationship, because he knew she was the one for him.
After graduating from PUC, Susan went to Kettering College of Medical Arts in OH to take nursing and Charles went to Southern University College in TN to get is BS degree in nursing. He drove from TN to OH numerous times to work at Kettering College of Medical Arts, and spend a few hours with Susan on some weekends and during the summer. They wrote lots of letters to each other during that time.
On June 15, 1980 (Father’s day) they were engaged with the approval of Susan’s father. After graduation, they got married in Ukiah, CA on August 9, 1981.
They both worked at St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park, CA. Charles worked in ICU/PAR and enjoyed his work, but he wanted to go on to be an optometrist because he wouldn’t have to be on call and he could be with the family more.
Mid July, 1982 they moved to Memphis, TN where Charles worked in the Emergency Room at Methodist Hospital while waiting to be accepted at Southern College of Optometry. He loved being a trauma nurse and was very good at it. He also enjoyed being the flight nurse in the helicopter.
Charles was very dedicated, devoted, and an active member of his church. He served the church in many ways during his life, including serving as an elder, head elder, deacon, assistant division leader for cradle roll, primary division teacher, adult sabbath school teacher, choral director, choir member, band player, and even preached a few sermons.
Charles & Susan taught nutrition/cooking classes together. They loved teaching how to eat whole grains, low sugar, low fat, and simply prepared foods. Charles loved to do health talks on the importance of exercise, water, appropriate sleep, sunshine, temperance, fresh air, and trust in the Lord. They inspired one couple to start a Country Life Restaurant in Memphis, TN that operated for several years.
On June 30, 1983, their precious, healthy daughter, Kristina Rosanne, was born and on August 31, 1985, a healthy son, Erick Christopher, was born. Charles was so proud to be a father of a son, as well, as a daughter.
Charles was a helpful, compassionate, caring, and a very loving father. He just wished he could be home more with the children and Susan. He started Southern College of Optometry a few weeks after Erick was born and graduated with his Doctor of Optometry June, 1989.
The family took a two month trip travelling through 22 states, and decided to settle in Spokane, WA. Chuck purchased a small optometry practice, and worked part-time at St. Luke’s Hospital as RN.
Charles loved spending time with his family doing things outdoors: swimming, camping, hiking, biking, and backpacking. They even ran in the Bloomsday Race together as a family--7.5 run/walk.
Music continued to be an important part of his life. Once a month they would go to sing at nursing homes. He sang tenor in the Upper Columbia Conference Abundant Life Singers for a couple years. Charles helped out with singing scripture songs for several CD recordings. He put a lot of expression into his singing and you could tell it was coming from his heart. He did a great job in being choir director, also.
Charles went on two mission trips as an optometrist. He and Susan took their church youth group on a mission trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica. They helped with evangelistic meetings, did health talks, opened a health clinic, and did some scuba diving and snorkeling. Charles examined eyes and Susan dispensed used prescription glasses to the needy people. His second trip was to Belize. Charles would tell you the most rewarding part of the trips were when the people would get so excited when they put their glasses on and shouted, “I can read my Bible now!”
October 12, 1992, Charles and Susan made a decision to move to the country. It looked totally impossible, but they stepped out in faith and knew it was the best for the children. They sold their home and optometry practice and moved.
They loved their first rental home in Addy, WA. It had 40 acres and hiking right out their back door. Charles got lots of practice using a chain saw and finding slash piles. He cut about nine cords of wood for one winter. They had a nice garden that produced well and very helpful neighbors. They had a lynx, skunks, gophers, and stray cats that caused some excitement, also.
November, 1994 Charles purchased a tiny optometry practice in the small town of Kettle Falls and a few weeks later, the family moved to their own country home in Colville, WA. Charles had some excitement getting the moving truck up a mile long driveway covered in ice and snow. Kristina remembers being with him as his car got stuck on the way back from returning the truck. God sent angels in the form of two Irish men to come and push them out of the ditch!
June, 1996, Susan’s Dad (Grandpa) came to live with them in their small 14x70 mobile home. He had progressive ataxia, broke his hip and needed full time care. So it was time to build a house! That winter broke the record for the most snowfall in the past 20 years. The total accumulation that winter was 11 feet.
One Saturday night, a strong wind and rain began and there were loud noises that sounded like the trusses were breaking. Charles and Susan ran up to hold the tarps, knock off snow, and pray. Charles said that it reminded him of the storm the disciples experienced when Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat. God answered their prayers and the wind and rain soon stopped and nothing was damaged. Praise the Lord again!
May 25, 1997, they moved into the house, and appreciated the space! Charles learned a lot and did very well with finishing the inside of the house, along with the help of friends and family. His favorite part was being on the tractor! He loved mowing, tilling, and digging--anything to be on his tractor! Sometimes he invented ways that his tractor could “help” with a project, just to get the tractor out again!
Fridays were usually his days off with the family, and he often would work on projects around the house. It never failed-- something would go wrong every time. He would be missing a tool, or something would break, or nothing would go as planned, and he’d be racing to get done before sunset. The most common challenge was water or plumbing issues. It became a running joke in the family--and with the neighbors, “Never start a water project on Friday!”
Charles loved to kayak! In 2007, he and Susan were caught in a storm on a large lake in British Columbia. Their kayak rental was a racer, very low with no skirt. There were white capped waves splashing over the front onto Susan’s lap. They were trying to cross over to the other side of the lake because it was almost time to return the kayak. Water filled the kayak and they capsized and signaled for help with their paddles. A boat soon came and rescued them. Three years later, they bought their own tandem kayak and experienced another storm on the same lake, but this time they did not capsize!
In 2006, he started building a smaller house next door. This was one of his biggest accomplishments. His favorite part was the cement work because he did a lot of that during his high school and college years.
One of Charles’ favorite stories was about their 25th Anniversary. They had planned to go out to eat that evening after work, but Susan was going past the apple trees and she heard a crunching sound. She looked up into the tree and saw it covered with caterpillars! There were eight other trees that were covered, also. So they spent their anniversary destroying hundreds of caterpillars! He always joked that he spent their 25th anniversary picking worms!
In 2009, the biggest highlights were their daughter Kristina's marriage to Daniel McFeeters and a backpacking trip with Erick in the Cabinet Mountains in Montana.
Charles loved horses. Even though he never owned any of his own after he and Susan got married, every time he saw a horse, he would wave to it, say “hi,” and whinney or feed it some grass.
In January, 2011, God spared his life during a widowmaker heart attack, and gave him another eight years. He recovered fairly quickly. Seven months later, he climbed Mt. Glory in British Columbia--11 miles round trip! He also hiked a couple other mountains over the next few years.
August, 2013, Charles and Susan moved to Whitley City, KY to be closer to their daughter, Kristina. A few months later, Kristina opened a restaurant, Kristina’s Kitchen. Charles did well working there, chopping vegetables, washing dishes, waiting on tables, and greeting the customers. His friendly smile, enthusiasm, kindness, and cheerfulness were a blessing to everyone. He loved sharing the Lord with others. He would share from his studies of Daniel and Revelation that Jesus is coming very soon to take His people home.
January, 2015, Charles and Susan flew to Thailand to be at their son’s wedding! Erick married Jonalyn, who was also a missionary at Sunshine Orchards and Learning Center in Thailand.
After two years in the kitchen, Charles started working part time again as an optometrist.
Charles and Susan had their “first real vacation since their honeymoon” during the summer of 2018. They enjoyed the beach, water, and sunshine at Hilton Head Island, SC. It was the most relaxing time, so warm, peaceful and beautiful.
Charles started a new job November 5, 2018. He did his best, but his body said no more. He began having afternoon fevers and a dry cough. He came home January 2, 2019, with both legs and feet doubled in size. His lab work showed that he had several things going on, but the doctors were most concerned about his heart.
On January 24, 2019, Dr. Wilkens let him know that he had end stage heart failure and would be eligible for hospice. That was a shock, but he was at peace, because he trusted God knew what was best and he was ready. Charles would say frequently during the last few weeks that he wanted “Christ in me, the hope of glory.”
Susan shares that Charles was given a “new heart and a new spirit”, as promised in Ezekiel 36:26. His prayers changed into a more fervent talk with God. He was a wonderful husband, but he became more loving, caring, kind-hearted and considerate, than ever before. His attention was off himself and he thought of others even more. He expressed his gratitude and love to Susan many times throughout the day and appreciated the great care of his “super nurse”. Their hearts were bound in the golden bonds of a love that is enduring. Christ gave Charles and Susan much grace, strength, and peace during this special time together.
Are we willing to submit our hearts completely to God, to have faith and obedience, and are we ready to face our loving Savior? We look forward to seeing Charles with a new body when Jesus comes to take His people home with Him. And he wants to see each one of you in heaven, also. That will be such a blessed and joyful reunion!