Chuck Finney, (1940 - 2018) - ForeverMissed.com Online Memorials

Let the memory of Chuck be with us forever. May he rest in eternal paradise.

77 years old
Born on May 12, 1940 in Los Angeles, California, United States
Passed away on February 24, 2018 in Palo Alto, California, United States

This memorial website was created in memory of our loved one, Chuck Finney. Born on May 12, 1940, and passed away on February 24, 2018. This is in tribute to a life so beautifully lived.

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February 25

As we reach a certain age many of our lifelong friends have passed away. Learning of each new addition to that ever-lengthening list causes me to review my recollections of those that have preceded me in our final transition. When I think of Chuck, my thoughts are entirely positive in nature. The man was committed to fairness, and seemed unable to harbor a selfish thought. He was a part of a very rare breed of human beings, and I will always miss and respect him.

February 25

I did not know Chuck as long as others, but for that brief moment I did, I felt his kindness, care and humanity for others.

February 24

Hey pal,

It's the anniversary of your passing. I have it marked in my daybook, just because... So I wanted to send love once again to one of the sweetest, kindest and most humane men it's ever been my good fortune to know.

i still think of you with all good thoughts, Charlie, and I hope, wherever the essence of you has gone, it is aware that we think of you with love and gratitude and know you are adding loving energy in whatever form and in whatever way it's possible to do so, just as you did when you were with us.

Love,

Mike

May 12, 2023

Hey pal,

Just wanted to say hi and send love on your birthday and tell you that Judy, my former wife, passed away last month. Also my dear friend Doug Rowe is in hospice and will not, I'm told, be with us much longer.

So do me a favor, please. I don't know how things work wherever you are, but if you can, please look them both up, give them my love, and do your best, as you always do, to guide them. I'm sure newcomers are always well treated, but it won't hurt to have someone who knows the ropes let them know they're in a good place with a good man and that we miss them.

Thanks.

Love,

Mike

May 12, 2023

You are a part of happy conversations in our family.

February 24, 2023

Hi Charlie,

Just wanted you to know I'm thinking about you. I keep this date in my daybook, so every year I get to think about what a wonderful guy you always have been. I know wherever you are now you're adding a loving, calming sense of decency to whatever's going on. Just know, my friend, that your physical presence is missed here.

The gang still meets, though the ranks are thinning out. Bob Fenton passed a couple of months ago. If you see him, tell him I send love.

You're the best, my friend. Love you.

February 24, 2023

I had previously stated that Mr. Finney was a rare individual that stood out, he was a true leader who valued people and helped them with their legal needs, I miss him

February 24, 2023

Chuck, you will always be a part of our life. We love you daughter very much and she truly reflects who you are and the kindness of your heart.

May 12, 2022

Thinking of you again today, Chuck. You were always a light for me. Holding you in memory and in my heart keeps that light shining.

Love to you and yours.

Mike

February 27, 2022

Thinking of you, Chuck. It always makes me smile to think of you, but knowing I'll not see you again still makes my heart hurt.

Love,

Mike

May 12, 2021

Just thinking about you, my friend, as I noted today was your birthday. Thoughts of you always bring a smile to my face. Your simple, trusting honesty and your willingness to listen and understand are qualities I wish were more generally shared today.

Miss you, my friend.

May 12, 2021

Chuck
Your smile, your kindness remains a part of our lives. Happy Birthday!

June 18, 2020

I lived in San Francisco for 30 years, and listened to Your Legal Rights whenever I could. I must say that Chuck Finney's authenticity, his love of the law, and his desire to help people understand it to their benefit, were all so strikingly manifest in his conversations with his guests. He was warm and gracious. His show was a welcoming venue for listeners and guests alike. One always had the impression that those invited to be on the show were happy to be there. I miss him, his voice. I felt as though I knew him.

May 12, 2020

Chuck, I miss that kind and gentle smile that so much reflected who you were. But, I am glad that Alexandra, your daughter, is a central part of our life now as she reflects so much of the good that you brought to this world. She clearly has the smile.....but much more. Happy Birthday!

May 12, 2020

Hiya my friend. Thinking about you today.

I know you now have all the answers to the questions that continue to plague us down here on this level. I hope and trust you are enjoying blissful comfort and perfect happiness now that you're part of the great beyond.

Love,

Mike

May 12, 2020

As I stated in my previous tribute,the world is in desperate need of Public Servants like Chuck we are going through a crossroads
of unprecedented magnitude where people like him are needed

February 24, 2020

I have this date marked on my calendar so I think of my friend Charlie, as I often do, especially on this day. I have marked his birthday, too, because my memories of him always bring a smile. It hurts that he's gone, it's a shame that he passed at such a relatively young age because his presence was such a contribution, but the warmth that comes when I think of him makes me know his goodness and decency are still here with us.

February 18, 2020

Chuck Finney was a great man,a champion of people’s rights he helped me in multiple occasions and I surely miss him I was very sad when I found out that he passed
This world is in need of public servants like him

April 30, 2019

I first met Chuck around 1969, when my husband Jerry and I were living in Westwood, CA, and preparing to move to my hometown of Honolulu. Jerry had been a schoolmate and friend of Chuck’s at Hollywood High School. Both of them played tennis and were members of a club called the Saracens, which held annual reunions. I don’t believe Jerry was a regular at the Saracens’ get-togethers, but he had fond memories of Chuck and wanted to re-establish their friendship. He managed to contact him, and we had him and his then wife Lynn over to dinner. I found Chuck to be warm, friendly, and courtly.
After we moved to Hawai’i, the two men initially kept in sporadic contact via email and phone calls. As the years passed, their communication increased. On a visit to San Francisco, Jerry and I managed to get together with Chuck at a restaurant called The Stinking Rose. Chuck came alone that time. On another visit, he came with his wife Joanne, and we encouraged the two of them to visit us. Joanne demurred, saying she had visited Hawai’i before and didn’t want to spoil her good memories of the islands, but Chuck was excited and said he would visit.
Chuck visited us twice. The first time he came with his granddaughter, and on another visit brought his daughter, Alexandra. On both visits he had found a place to stay just a few yards from beautiful Kailua Beach, and he loved it; he found it so relaxing. After those visits, he would frequently tell us he wanted to return as soon as he found the time. At that point, Joanne was well, but Chuck was busy with his job as an attorney and as a host of a well-received radio program. However, after his trips to Hawai’i, the phone calls between him and Jerry increased, and their friendship blossomed. Whenever he’d call and if I picked up the phone, the two of us would also have a good conversation before I passed the phone to Jerry.
Then Chuck got hit with cancer. We worried about him, but he kept assuring us that he was doing well and would beat it, which he did. Not long after, Joanne fell ill, and Chuck became her caretaker. We worried about both of them, especially the stress that Chuck was under, but he was wonderfully supportive of and caring for Joanne, which both Jerry and I admired.
About 12 years ago, Jerry was diagnosed with cancer. Chuck was shocked and upset when we shared the news. He called him frequently to find out how he was doing and to encourage him and also talked to me to make sure that Jerry wasn’t whitewashing what was going on. Immediately after my husband’s death, I called to let Chuck know, and he reacted emotionally and with great sorrow. As the days passed, he called and emailed me frequently, and I shared with him some of the unusual happenings that took place right after Jerry’s death and in the weeks and months that followed. Initially, he was skeptical, but he came to admit that there were things that happened that one could not explain rationally, and one just had to accept.
I am filled with gratitude for Chuck’s frequent calls and emails during the months of grief and mourning that I experienced. I will never forget the concern and friendship he offered during that hard time. As time passed, we continued to communicate, not as frequently, but I knew that I could depend on him to listen if I needed someone with whom to talk.
So it was with great shock that I received Alexandra’s email notifying me of her father’s death. And although the news was hard to accept, I am grateful that Chuck didn’t suffer for an extended period of time and that he went peacefully. I imagine him having a wonderful reunion with his loved ones who passed before him and with his Saracen friends, too.
Rest in peace, Chuck, and mahalo piha (heartfelt thanks) for your friendship over the years.
Me ke aloha pumehana,
Suelyn Tune

March 9, 2019

I think I met Chuck in the 4th or 5th grade at West Hollywood Grammar School, I don’t remember which. My sense is that he was new to the school when we met, but again I’m not sure. I think his family had only recently moved into the area.
Whatever, I knew immediately there was a qualitative difference about Chuck, certainly “Charles” at that time. He had a kind of formal air that set him slightly apart from most of the more rough and tumble guys in our class. My brain hints that his folks were from someplace else; Australia, I want to say. And the formality about Chuck was expressed by his good manners, a certain thoughtfulness and an air of diffidence that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I later came to understand it as maturation and decency.
Chuck wore short pants, which certainly set him apart. We were all in jeans, Levis if we could afford them, so Chuck, with his slightly unique qualities and his very different style of dress, would have been a likely target for ridicule, but for some reason he wasn’t.
Kick ball on the lower asphalt court where the upper grade kids played was the sport of the moment, as I recall, and because he seemed likely to be separated out from the usual bunch of players, I invited him to join us.
I don’t remember if he knew the game or had played it before, but my sense is it was new to him. Whatever the case, what sticks in my head as I think back to that day is that the ball was pitched, or probably rolled, to Chuck at home plate and he kicked the damned thing to hell and gone, in one marvelous stroke erasing the short pants, the formality and anything else that made him seem different from the rest of us from that day forward.
Suddenly everybody liked Chuck.
Chuck, or Charlie, as I sometimes liked to call him, became one of my most cherished friends that day and remains so now, if only in memory.
Chuck’s decency was like his skin, never apart from him. He was gentle and sweet, thoughtful and kind, smart as a whip and handsome as hell. He was, I think, quite shy, but he overcame that and succeeded, as far as I’m aware, at everything he tried.
He was an incredibly sensitive man, never cruel or rude. Never, I think, thoughtless. I remember learning, when at his house for dinner one time, that when he realized at a very young age that the meat on the table for dinner was part of an animal that had been killed for our consumption, he then and there became a life-long vegetarian.
That was Chuck.
Sometime during the period of our graduating from West Hollywood School and moving on to Bancroft Junior High, a bunch of us were formed into a club under the tutelage of a wonderful man named Marv Bass, a coach at our primary hangout, West Hollywood Park. We called it The Banshees, with the charter members being made up of our pals from school and the park. This group, I know, was a creature of Marv’s genius, a way to keep us off the streets and out of the trouble that was readily available and sure to be tempting.
The years at Bancroft were a growing, maturing time for all of us, I think, as we Banshees joked and horsed around, but as I look back I wonder if it wasn’t simply affording us the chance to catch up with Chuck.
The one event involving him during that time that stands out in my memory is that a couple of the rougher guys hit on an idea during our last year at Bancroft, a stupid idea of getting a bunch of students to join them in putting a message in the alumni book where the seniors got to express what they thought – what they liked and didn’t like – about the Junior High experience. The message they tricked people into signing onto by explaining it as a big complicated joke was actually an anti-Semitic slur against “Big Jays.” It caused a major stir, as you might imagine, because so many who signed on hadn’t understood the true intent and were humiliated at having allowed themselves to be tricked into adding their names. Chuck, naïve and trusting soul that he was, was one of them.
We had Jewish club members and Jewish friends outside the club, and when the book was published they were understandably hurt and furious. Chuck, when he understood what he had been tricked into doing, was crushed. It stung him deeply and he apologized to as many friends as he could find. And to some he didn’t even know. In spite of their upset I'm sure those close to us understood, but it was a bitter lesson for Chuck. I think he just didn’t understand how anyone could be so cruel as to do such a thing.
How he handled it, making a personal apology and explanation to each affected friend and others who would listen, became a lasting memory for me about Chuck’s naiveté and innocence: how hurt he was by having hurt another.
We moved on together to Hollywood High School where Chuck continued to grow without losing any of the honesty, simplicity and decency I always loved about him. Our club, The Banshees, was re-dubbed The Saracens upon our arrival at Hollywood and we took our place in the renowned Quad, the big plaza-like area in the center of the campus where meals were eaten and social interactions took place. As we passed through the semesters and he became more and more popular and more active at school, Chuck was encouraged, during our senior year, to run for Student Body President. I thought it was a great idea and supported him enthusiastically. But before the election some sort of issue came up that put the student body’s more active members in opposition to the school’s administration and there was talk of a student strike.
Now this was the mid-50s and Hollywood High was not a cauldron of social activism. I don’t even actually remember what the potential strike was about, but it quickly became clear that those who supported it put their standing at risk. I don’t know if expulsion was a possibility, but it was, as I recall, a serious question pitting students against the school’s authorities. And it became a big deal. At some point during this time, Chuck came to me and said he thought he had to join the group threatening to strike. I told him that would mean losing the chance to become Student Body President. He said,
“I know, but they’re right.”
That was Chuck.
Fortunately, the issue was resolved peacefully, there was no strike and Chuck was elected President.
I’d known, I guess, through high school, that Chuck was interested in being or becoming an actor. I was too, but I was too scared to do anything about it. After graduating from Hollywood High, he went on to college, as did many of the guys. I did not and joined the service, so our lives went in separate directions.
We stayed in touch, though, and periodically saw each other, if sometimes only once a year at our Banshee/Saracen Reunions.
Instead of acting, Chuck chose law school and went on to practice it. For many years he was, I believe, an Assistant District Attorney in the Bay Area. He had met and married Joanne, now his wife of many years and they produced the lovely Alexandra, who has put this wonderful memorial together.
Chuck was always about serving others. During his years as an ADA he specialized in prosecuting companies that broke the law or mistreated employees or customers. And he hosted a radio show about the law that was meant to provide help to people who had a legal problem and didn’t know how to deal with it or where to get assistance. Though not a lawyer, I have become involved in legal issues pertaining to social justice and Chuck had me as a guest on his show a number of times. It was great fun to be there with him as he taught some people and steered others toward a way to resolve their problems. Always polite, always attentive, always intent on helping.
That was Chuck.
At home, he carefully tended to his wife Joanne as she suffered through a series of debilitating illnesses. At the same time he always took note when a friend was ill or had passed. He made a point, I know, of calling and offering good wishes and attention when our former club members were ill or recovering. And he called regularly, actually stayed in touch for some time, with the widows and loved ones of members of the club who have passed.
With it all, Charlie maintained the same dignity, the same sweet, innocent decency that I first saw in him at West Hollywood Grammar School.
Chuck should have had many more years than were allowed him. The gifts of his talent, his winning personality, his charm, his decency and his dedication to helping others made a great contribution and could have/should have continued to the benefit of all of us. As it is, he seemed so incredibly vital the last time I saw him that Alexandra’s call about his sudden death was so stunning, so shocking as to be staggering. It brought me to the realization that when one you admire so much, love so much, passes on, a piece of you goes with him. But I’ll always be grateful for the piece of him that remains part of me.
Mike Farrell

March 6, 2019

My husband, Dean Carlton, passed away 2-1/2 years ago. During his illness I first started to receive kind comforting telephone calls from Chuck. I remembered him from Hollywood High, and heard his name mentioned over the fifty years of Saracens Reunions. Chuck must have called me over 50 times comforting me during Dean's illness and after his death. Many times when I was at my lowest, the phone would ring and it would be Chuck checking on me, that gentle soft voice encouraging me. I had not actually seen him in decades but miraculously he was there for me. He was truly an Angel in disguise. Thank you, Chuck.

March 4, 2019

Chuck was the kind of guy who instantly made you feel good. He always had a kindly twinkle in his eye and a warm, sincere smile for everyone. He was a patient listener, and a sincere friend.
Chuck was filled with genuine concern for all people, but especially for people in need. And he was pragmatic - he knew you can't always help everyone, but that did not stop him from listening and trying to with profound courtesy and patience. (Not always easy to do with some callers to the show.)
Chuck's vision for the radio program was beyond brilliant. He found a way to bring free access to law for thousands of people with legal needs that were not being filled anywhere else by anyone else. By recruiting the help of dozens of volunteer lawyers, Chuck provided people in need with free access to law, one person at a time. It was my special privilege to be allowed to take part in that mission.
Chuck's physical being is gone, but his vision, his spirit and his radio show live on. Jeff Hayden has been a worthy successor, and continues the Chuck Finney tradition. The show remains true to the original purpose and values established by our great Mentor. OK, so maybe not with Chucks golden radio voice, but with all the same enthusiasm and compassion. Jeff, keep it going!

February 26, 2019

I met Chuck when we were in grammar school. He was the same age as my older brother and I noticed that he never showed the slightly condescending attitude that some of my brother's pals had toward the "little brother".
We were friends through junior and senior high school, and I felt that he was the most direct to deal with of all my schoolmates. Conversations were thoughtful and sincere. His attention was focused, and he took responsibility for comments he offered on any subject.
I thought he was a great guy, even though he operated in a low key manner socially. I was delighted when his demeanor was recognized by the student body and he was elected Student Body President in his senior year at Hollywood High School.
Chuck was a regular attendee at our high school club's annual Reunion Dinner, where for 60 years a group of kids dressed up as old men have gathered together to enjoy the memories and discuss the paths our lives have taken. He will be greatly missed.

February 25, 2019

I was 12 years old when I started the 7th grade at Bancroft Junior High School in February 1951. In one of my first classes while we were waiting for a teacher, Mike Farrell introduced Chuck as the only 10 year old in the class. Through Junior High and High School, and through the years since as a member of the Banshees and the Saracens, I came to know Chuck well. He was always a man of integrity and a true Gentleman. I enjoyed Chuck and was privileged to have him as a friend.

February 25, 2019

For some 20 years, I had the privilege to call Chuck my friend. His calling was to serve the public. While many knew him as a Deputy District Attorney, some of us also knew Chuck for creating and hosting -- for some 30 years -- a radio program that was entirely for the benefit of the public, passing along information as well as legal advice to those who listened and/or called in; shortly after Chuck passed, several of us worked together to keep the program on the air. While I am honored to carry on Chuck's work, trying to host that show in the manner that best preserves and continues that vision, I'd trade it all to hear that smooth voice return to the air. Chuck, you left us too soon.

February 24, 2019

Some people we only get to know briefly, yet they make you feel like they have known you for a life time and you them. They make you feel welcomed and valued. This is my experience of Chuck. His gentle manner and authentic engagement is what I carry of Chuck. How could we not grief his passing. But I also celebrate my fortune in having meet him and gotten to know him.

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Recent Tributes

February 25

I did not know Chuck as long as others, but for that brief moment I did, I felt his kindness, care and humanity for others.

February 24

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Gallery

From Left to Right: Brother in Law - Ron, Nephew - David, Sister -Suzanne, Mother - Betty, Chuck, and Daughter - Alexandra

Charlie in scene from "Call of The Forest"

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His Life

The Life of Chuck: As Told by His Daughter, Alexandra

February 23, 2019

Charles Edward Finney was born at the Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles on May 12,1940 to Betty and Edward Finney. He was known as Charlie to his parents, and eight years later, to his baby sister Suzanne; whom he adored. He is known as Chuck to many, and was known affectionately as Chuckles to some childhood friends.

Chuck was the son of a Hollywood producer father, and a landscape and figure artist mother, who worked as an illustrator for Walt Disney; each parent an artist in their own right. Because of this, Chuck truly valued the arts, music, and the magic that movies can bring.

Growing up in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, Chuck came to shine on the Silver Screen at a young age in some of his father's films, going by the stage name "Charlie Hughes". He acted in several of his father's films, and went on to do some print modeling and commercials. He also pursued other activities such as tap dancing, ballet, and tennis to name a few. Tennis rose to the top of the list, but he was an excellent tap dancer. He was an excellent and graceful dancer in general. That probably had a lot to do with his beautifully graceful walk and magnificent posture.

While a student at Hollywood High, Chuck was active in many school activities. Not only was he the student body president, but also the school mascot “The Sheik” who was taken from the Rudolph Valentino film by the same name. He also was a member of two Boys Club chapters known as "The Banshees" and "The Saracens". Many years after graduation, the Boys Club members still would meet at the home of Chuck's lifelong friend Mike Farrell’s home in Los Angeles. While there they would recount stories of yesteryear, catch up on life, enjoy good food and drink, and visit as long time friends should. The Boys Club reunions were something Chuck always looked forward to, and although he wasn't able to attend all of them, he cherished those friendships and get togethers.

Following his college graduation from UCLA, he attended Loyola Law School. Thereafter he worked for several private firms in Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, and the Bay Area. During this time he also became more involved with radio, eventually taking production classes and earning his FCC license.

Chuck met his future wife Joanne, a fellow lawyer at a place where lawyers would likely meet. No, not at a Courthouse, and this isn’t one of those bad lawyer jokes... but none other than at the California Bar Convention in Sacramento. They were sat at the same table, and listened to Justice William Rehnquist speak. Following lunch, Chuck and Joanne were introduced by Chuck’s former law partner and friend, Bill Locke-Paddon. Several years later, Chuck and Joanne were married on September 6,1975 at Chuck’s home in the Santa Cruz Mountains. They eventually moved to Palo Alto, and spent many happy years together until his untimely passing.

Chuck was not only passionate about the law, but equally if not more so, about radio. Specifically he was passionate about his “Your Legal Rights” program for over 30 years. His founding and long running “Your Legal Rights” program was initially hosted at KQED before moving to KALW. Chuck hosted and produced shows at several radio stations including one coined "The Chuck Finney Show" at KNBR, KYUU, KCBS, KFOG, and KQED. Chuck’s shows were mainly geared towards public affairs issues: consumerism, health, medicine, and legal rights. His knowledge, wisdom, and advice, coupled with the assistance of countless attorneys and judges that appeared on his program throughout the years, assisted a breadth individuals. His Wednesday evening program also included the once a month call in show entitled "Call- A- Lawyer" nights; where his listeners could call into the show to seek advice on the chosen topic for that segment. Although some challenging topics and questions at times, considerate as he was, Chuck made sure his Call- A- Lawyer night guests were well prepared and also fed prior to going on the air by having pizza delivered on those nights. Many a pizza was had at the station.

He truly loved the "Your Legal Rights" program and all it brought to the airwaves in the people that it assisted.

On the KALW archive, you can hear some of Chuck's past programs here:

https://www.kalw.org/people/chuck-finney#stream/0

as well as the tribute program to Chuck here:

https://www.kalw.org/post/tribute-chuck-finney#stream/0.

Chuck served the public as a Deputy District Attorney with the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office for almost 30 years. Chuck was a Deputy in the Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit, and worked on countless cases, and advocated for numerous people throughout the years. Chuck was very much a public servant, and was a popular man. Through his charm, great demeanor, and professionalism he had gained great relationships throughout the years with many people throughout San Mateo County and beyond. Chuck officially retired from the office in 2013, but continued to volunteer his time with the office. Chuck assisted anyone he could. Whether that was working on a case, with a referral, a phone call, a letter, or just to chat. Chuck was very much the gentleman, well respected, and he always made time for people. Always.

As a father, Chuck made things magical. To me, my Dad was Superman. He could, and was able to do, practically anything. I remember a trip to Yosemite when I was about three years old. We drove up in our small silver Sentra, and it was the only car on the snow blanketed road. It had skidded on the fresh snow and was left literally balancing on the side of a cliff; one half of the car on and one half off. I don’t know how he did it, but my Dad single handedly rocked that Sentra back onto the road while my Mom and I stood in the snow and watch from the other side. When it was safe, we got back into the car, and continued on our journey to the snow. I remember that moment so vividly.

Chuck was famous for making dozens of pancakes for people on my pre-school campouts to Portola Park, he chaperoned school field trips, became a member of the PTA, was my brownie troop leader, showed up for my sporting events, was my playmate when I didn’t have anyone to play with, helped me build my lemonade stand for Stanford home games and fronted the initial business plan (thereby teaching me money management skills), caught my pet bunny when he ran away, he taught me how to drive (a stick shift no less with tremendous patience), supported all my endeavors and dreams, and taught many lessons about life.

Chuck led by example in his words and by his actions, and shared so much of his wisdom. He was truly a man of his word. He continued to be positive in difficult situations, and taught me to fight for what you believe in. He was always kind and respectful to everyone he came in contact with, and was always gracious. He taught to me to stay humble, to give to the less fortunate and to be charitable, and the importance of being punctual. He taught me the value of hard work, as well as compassion, patience, and most of all, he taught me and showed me what true love really looked like. And he always gave the best advice.

Chuck loved nature, the great outdoors, and valued Mother Earth and all its creatures. He loved going to the beach, walks along the ocean, and driving through the California Redwoods. He became a vegetarian when he was eight years old because he loved animals so much. Chuck was a great animal lover and had many pets throughout his life. In his childhood that meant several cats and dogs at the same time, and even a pet pigeon that he had rescued when it was hurt as a baby; and cats, bunnies, and several goldfish when I was growing up. Not wanting a single creature to ever be harmed, he was one who would catch a spider and release it outside. At home, he made an outside bird feeder, and always kept it full; including a dish for fresh water. Recently, a neighbor recounted a story to me where she telephoned Chuck frantically because a squirrel had somehow gotten into her home. Chuck went over, and after several attempts was able to capture the squirrel, and release it outside into the wild.

Chuck enjoyed sweets in moderation, but had a great fondness for ice cream, and his favorite was strawberry (it was no wonder since he was employed as a “soda jerk” when he worked at a soda fountain as his first job while in high school), but it was peppermint during the holiday season. His favorite candy was Marzipan...something that few people have a pallet for, and something I failed to understand his enjoyment in, but I purchased the See's variety for him anyway.

Chuck lived a life that was so beautifully lived. He found pleasure in the simple things in life, had a wonderful sense of humor, and he said that he was a lucky guy. I believe that all who knew him were lucky as well. He was a very special and unique human being, who was taken from this world far too soon. He is so terribly, terribly, missed, loved always, and will never be forgotten.

This is my story about my beloved father’s life and legacy. Please share your photographs, memories, and stories as well.

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