Charles Ray Dismukes

Charles (Diz), was born November 16, 1932, to John Raymond and Margaret (Anderson) Dismukes in Carlsbad, New Mexico. After moving to Nodaway, Iowa, He was a student in their very small public school. Diz was in a graduating class of seven, before heading down to Tarkio College in Tarkio, Missouri. He graduated with a degree in Math and Physics, and met Carolyn Jean Graham (Whittier, CA), whom he married after college.

He did a two-year stint in the Army before heading to California, where he built his life. Diz attended UCLA on the GI Bill, and graduated with a PhD in Nuclear Physics. He accepted a job at General Atomic in San Diego, before he created a new company with some co-workers from General Atomic, and called it Systems, Science & Software, or S-Cubed. He worked there as a nuclear physicist until he retired in 1995.

Being an only child, he really enjoyed becoming a part of Carolyn’s large extended family, and doting on his two children, Gary and Karen. When Carolyn passed away from cancer in 1987, he remarried in 1991 to Sylvia VanScoyoc, who had three daughters, Susan, Leslie, and Nancy. He loved his new expanded

family, and enjoyed the many trips to visit each one of them.

Diz was also fascinated by trains and dreamed of being a train engineer when he was a young boy. He also loved to travel. He made many trips throughout his life, including to Guatemala, Peru, the Panama Canal, Russia, England, and Wales. But his heart was always in Maui, where he bought a condo in Kihei in

1990. Diz and Sylvia made yearly trips there until 2015, when the condo was sold. (He snuck one more trip there when he and Sylvia celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2021!)

Sylvia remained by Diz’s side through thick and thin, and was so appreciative of all the Health Care workers and Hospice, who took such good care of him, and enabled him to be at home when he passed.

Diz is survived by his wife, Sylvia Dismukes of San Diego, CA; son Gary Dismukes (Sue Brunkow) of San Diego, CA; daughter Karen Dismukes of Overland Park, KS; stepdaughter Susan Genereauxs of Portland, OR; stepdaughter Leslie VanScoyoc (Joanne Stanley) of San Francisco, CA; stepdaughter Nancy VanScoyoc of Tualatin, OR; and two grandchildren Samantha VanScoyoc of San Diego, CA; and Luca Dismukes of San Diego, CA. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, wife Carolyn Dismukes, and grandson Nicholas Dismukes.

A committal service will be held at El Camino Memorial - Sorrento Valley, located at 5600 Carroll Canyon Rd, San Diego, CA 92121, United States. The service will take place on October 11, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.