Dear Chuck, Coach, Mentor & Friend,
Taking a moment to share how you made a great positive impact on my life, you will be forever missed and always in our thoughts.
One of my first memories of Chuck was at 14 years old boy, this scrawny 115 pound and barely five foot freshman football player at Lynbrook High School was standing with my fellow JV teammates about to have our 1st live tackling drill. You were in front of us giving the team a speech on all of the contact sports (basketball, hockey, lacrosse), you built up your message to football that was truly the only “collision” sport. You talked about the safety, of keeping your head up, exploding, and wrapping as you tackled. You also talked about the importance of giving it your all, being fearless, while controlled. At the time, your speech had me so motivated, I would have marched my 115lbs over to the Varsity squad and taken on any of the young men 3x my size. As I somewhat grew in size so did the opportunities for me with LHS football as I became quarterback for the JV and then Varsity. You coached the defense side of the ball however, you made a profound impact on me during those years. You would often pull me aside during games and encourage and challenged me to lead. You gave me great confidence during those moments and while the outcome of many of those LHS football games didn’t go our way, I found leadership from you in those moments that I have carried with me into adulthood.
As Joel and I became better friends in high school and of course Joel becoming even better friends with my sister Shannon :) it became clear that our family paths would be more greatly aligned for decades to come. I was fortunate to get to know you as a father, you became a friend to me and my family, and you were an important figure in my family’s life as not just as Chuck, but also as “Papa Chuck..” As Jodie and I moved up to your neck of the woods in 2007, you once again pulled me aside at one of Joel’s family BBQ’s and said how happy you were that we chose to live in the Lincoln area, you said, “I’m really looking forward to watching you guys raise your families..” That meant a lot to me, and it made Jodie and I feel at home in a new area for us. You helped to teach me the importance of spending quality time with your family, friends and tradition. I will never forget the great memories of you in action at the annual Donner Horseshoe Tournament with your megaphone speaker keeping the many tournament games going to ensure the championship games took place before sundown.
Chuck, you were always there to tell a good joke, thank you for introducing me to Merle Haggard, and Johnny Cash as they pair so very well with an adult beverage.
More importantly, thank you for the positive impacts you made on me and my family and for always making us feel at home.
Forever missed indeed. Love, Dan, Jodie, Sydney, Camryn & Paige.