Charles Alton Hartley, III

Charles (“Chuck”) Alton Hartley, III was born September 9, 1936, at Holy Cross Hospital in Salt Lake City Utah. His father was Charles Alton Hartley Jr., and his mother was Norma Miner Hartley. Subject to transfer by his father’s company, the Southern Pacific Railroad, the Hartley family lived in Utah, Montana, and California, finally settling in the San Francisco Bay Area.

During grade school and high school Chuck was active in Boy Scouts, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Butte’s amateur ham radio club. Chuck started his education in electronics from library books and science magazines, which lead to countless home experiments. He graduated from Butte High School in June 1954. After graduation, he joined his family then living in San Lorenzo, California. In 1955, he attended San Jose Junior College for a short time.

He married his first wife, Loretta, in 1956. They had a son, Paul Allen Hartley, born at Stanford University Hospital, on June 7, 1957.

In 1959, Chuck moved his family to Medford, Oregon. There he and a partner opened their own business, H&L Electronics. His career in electronics began to grow and prosper.

In about 1967, at the time he was a single dad, Chuck found new employment at the GTE Lenkurt Company in the San Francisco Bay Area.

He married Jeannie L. Wood in 1978 in Hilo, Hawaii. Soon after their marriage, Chuck accepted a position at the prestigious Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC).

In the 90’s and to the end of his working career, new interests and challenges took him to a number of high tech start-up companies in California’s Silicon Valley, including National Water Management, PSI, Multipoint Networks, and GRE America. Recognizing Chuck’s experience and mentoring abilities, these companies sent Chuck to many parts of the world to install high-tech communications equipment and to train engineers in their use.

Chuck always found time to learn new skills and invent new electronic devices. Before there was texting, he invented a device he called the “ToneWriter” to help the hearing impaired communicate with text using the keys of a touch tone phone.

An interest in beautifully cut gemstones inspired Chuck to buy a gem faceting machine. He was self-taught and faceted hundreds of gem-quality stones for 40 years.

Chuck and his wife Jeannie loved to travel. They always looked forward to making a springtime visit to the UK to see grandchildren. Each early autumn, they would make a trip to Hilo, Hawaii to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

Chuck loved living in Montana. It was his dream to go back someday, and he and Jeannie did once they both retired.

Chuck passed away on March 19, 2020, in Butte, Montana. Some of the last things he saw were the beautiful white tail deer that often wandered onto their property, the Rocky Mountains, and his wife’s loving face.

Chuck is survived by Jeannie, his wife of almost 42 years; his two youngest brothers, Richard Hartley (wife Pamela) and James Hartley (wife Linda); three grandchildren who live in the UK, Amanda, Jessica (husband Ryan), and Joe; a granddaughter, Julia, in Sun Valley, Nevada; two great-grandsons also in the UK, Jack and Jacob; and many nieces and nephews on both sides of the family.

Chuck was cremated in Butte, Montana. His cremains were buried on June 22, 2021 in the Garden of Tranquility Cremation Garden at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Millcreek, Utah.

A private family memorial service will be held on September 9, 2021, at 11:00 am at the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary chapel. The services will be available via live-stream at www.wasatchlawn.com.