Charles Alton Price, Jr. was number 7 out of 8 children in his family and he was the last to pass away. He was named after his father. His mother died when he was 8. He watched as his three older brothers went into the military during World War II. The eldest brother flew B-17s for a total of 25 missions over Germany and trained pilots to fly the B-29: the next brother was a top-notch Marine aircraft mechanic, and the other brother was in the Navy. There were four sisters, and one half-sister is also still alive. When the war ended, all of his brothers returned from the war and he was inspired to go into the military himself.

What I didn't know about him until we opened some of his boxes of possessions was that he was actually educated as an Instructor during his almost four-year term in the military. Reading this letter to his father from Robert E. Endig, LT Col., United States Air Force, Commanding, on the 27th of June 1949 "Dear Mr. Price, I wish to congratulate you at this time on behalf of the excellent progress of your son, Private First Class Charles A. Price in the Teletype Mechanic Course and to inform you of his selection for future Instructor duty at this school. He was chosen for this duty on the basis of his academic standing, his previous education, and experience, as well as the fact that he possesses personal qualities suited to the teaching profession" Dad went on to become Staff Sergeant. That personal quality of warmth, humility, humor, dedication, and a drive for excellence, was what would define him in his career and as a family man.

After the military, Charlie went to work for the Associated Press. He married Mary Louise Moravek, my mother. DI was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. We were transferred to New York and New Jersey, and upon being transferred to Seattle, he found a permanent home. He headed out over the floating bridge early in the mornings in his Volkswagen Beetle to beat the traffic and to see what challenges awaited him at the office. He loved his career with the AP for the 47.5 years he spent there. As the technology in the news industry evolved, he rose to the occasion. He was well-regarded and well-known in print, radio, and television media. Charlie as Chief of Communications with the AP and his team served the states of Washington, Alaska, and as well as parts of Idaho. And he enjoyed the business trips he took to Alaska to help establish and maintain AP service there as well as those in Washington and beyond.

My Dad took me to Rose Hill Presbyterian Church when I was in the fifth grade because of the oak trees that used to be in the grassy front yard facing the street. He dropped me off for Sunday School and attended this church when I was in high school. The oak trees would always remind me of my childhood spent on the East Coast. I left all of my relatives on both my Dad's and Mom's sides when we came here. But now, we have so many of my Dad's ancestry research work and photos of family in the boxes he collected which are invaluable plus my social media connections with my many cousins.

When I think about my Dad, I think of all of the time we spent together. Playing catch with the special mitts that he waved from military service. There was something about him; he was always helping people in the neighborhood and helping people while boating. It was just him. While I was attending the University of Washington my parents divorced. It was a tough time in our family life. But he was always supportive of me. So many boxes of papers, letters, and family pictures were left for me, with so many reminders of his life and those of the Prices.

My husband Abe, myself, daughter Soraya, and Son Soheil valued Charlie's long retirement in which he could stop by after volunteering at Boeing's Flight Restoration Center at Paine Field to see if we needed anything to be fixed. Dad helped rebuild and restore a 247D antique airline and Link Trainers. He traveled to the East Coast and Maryland to visit his family and go to antique airplane fly-ins with his brother Dale and wife Fran. As a part of an extension of his career in technology, Dad pursued his love of the inner workings of clocks and watches and repaired ours masterfully and those of his family and friends.

I am grateful for all of that time and thankful for the privilege to take Dad to his medical appointments, the opportunity to go the beach, and during one visit witnessed the awesome sighting of a double rainbow at Mukilteo State Park, the boats, and ferry, taking him to auctions, or to listen to stories about the Price family.

Charlie was an excellent husband to Beverlee and a loving stepfather to Terre Skelly and her husband, Jan, and Tami Freeman , as well as a grandfather to Justin Serry and Dane Allen. He was so pleased to see Dane's daughter and was delighted that he and his wife Stephanie were going to have another. Dad had many nephews and nieces as well as grand nephews and nieces.

At the retirement center, Dad was always crafting such kind, warm, comments and was quite popular there. He left many friends. And always, he would say to anyone passing when I was there, anyone, "Have you met my daughter? " he would say, "This is my daughter, Cindy", and when I worried about his health, he'd say, "I'm an old guy" or when I told him that I loved him, he would tell me "I love you more," or "I love you, more than you can know." 94 years, good years, a long life he had.

The following is an inspirational poem written by St. Francis Assisi that was sung at his father, Charles Alton Price Sr's funeral service. I found this in the boxes, also. I would like to share this with you. It's titled, "Eternal Life".

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.