Charlotte Mary Speer

Charlotte Mary Speer (Chesak) passed away peacefully on December 10th at the age of 86. She was born on July 25th, 1928 in Athens, Wisconsin and spent the later part of her childhood in Portland, Oregon. In 1946 she graduated from Franklin High School and later attended Northwestern Business School where she completed coursework in accounting and business administration. Charlotte was always a confident woman, brimming with determination. Her strength of character allowed her to succeed in the highly competitive and mostly male-dominated world of commercial sales. Throughout her career at Sears Contract Sales, Charlotte was consistently ranked as one of the top sales agents in the company. Her true passion, though, was her family. After a brief courtship, Charlotte and Howard Edward Speer were married on March 2nd, 1956 in Portland. They raised three children and spent the next 50 years happily married to one another. One of their shared passions was boating with the Northwest Outboard Trailer Sailors (NOTS). In her later years, Charlotte joined the Red Hat Society, wholly embracing their spirit of adventure and fun. Charlotte will be remembered for her green thumb in the garden, her excellent cooking and her generous love for her family.

She was preceded in death by her husband Howard Edward Speer. She is survived by her sons: Michael Speer (Janet) and Patrick Speer (Gayle); her daughter Kathy Brunkow (Les Womack); her sisters: GeorgiAnn Barrish and Christine Clattenburg; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Charlotte also enjoyed spending time in the company of her two nieces and four nephews.