Charles A. “Chub” Symonds 83, of Newbury, NH and formerly of Keene, NH, passed away peacefully at his home in Newbury on Monday, May 6, 2019 with his wife, Barbara at his side, after a period of declining health.
His parents, Louise (Auger) and Clare H. Symonds, Sr. welcomed their son into the world on February 22, 1936 in Keene, NH.
He grew up in Keene attending St. Joseph Regional School, at a time when the area schools played each other in sports. Chub played football, basketball and baseball. After graduating from St. Joseph’s he went on to Keene High School where he concentrated on developing his skills in baseball. A proud moment for Chub was in 1953 when Keene High School won the NH Class A Championship with by way of his winning hit. Also while in high school, Chub played in the NH Interscholastic Athletic Association Junior Legion Baseball League.
He continued to play baseball with the Marlborough Yankees, playing against various teams in the area. This continued until the formation of the Greater Keene Men’s Softball Association, of which, he participated in until he moved to Newbury in 1999.
Chub enlisted in the Army in 1958, and later was transferred to the Army Reserves where he continued to proudly serve until his honorable discharge in 1964.
His work career spanned over 43 years beginning in 1955 when he began working with the former American Optical Company in Keene. In 1984, he was hired by the Kollmorgen Corporation when the company moved their division from Northampton, MA to Keene. The company later relocated to Brattleboro, VT from which, Chub retired in 1998.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Barbara M. “Bobbie” Kelly on September 7, 1957 in St. Bernard Church, Keene. The couple resided in Keene until 1999 when they moved to Newbury to be closer to Mt. Sunapee, their second love in life.
An avid skier, Chub started skiing as a child with his older brother, Sy, who was part of the 10th Mountain Ski Troops. He started as a ski instructor at Mt. Sunapee with the children of the Mt. Sunapee Ski Club in the 1960’s and became a member of the Walter Graf Ski School in the early 70’s. He continued teaching at the Mt. Sunapee Learning Center until 2016 when his health began to fail. During these years, he was the supervisor as well as assistant director at the Learning Center.
Chub was a Level III Certified Instructor and lifetime member of the Professional Ski Instructors of American. He was also a ski representative for many companies including Pre, Voelkl, Blizzard, Technica, and Scott and Swan.
In 2010 he and his wife, Barbara received the prestigious John W. McCrillis Award for their dedication and efforts in support of the sport of skiing.
When not on the ski slopes, Chub and Bobbie loved to travel, especially to NASCAR events; West Point football games; Yankee Stadium; and their second favorite spot from the mountain, the ocean. Even though he was a NY Yankees fan, it was a special moment when Chub met Ted Williams just prior to Ted’s passing away.
He will be greatly missed by many on the great white slopes of the mountain, but more so by his wife of 61 years, Barbara M. Symonds; his niece, Carol (Symonds) Fossum and her husband, Hugh; his nephews, William Symonds and his wife, Donna, Mark Symonds and his wife, Jennifer, John Symonds and his companion, Laurie, Timothy Symonds and his wife, Christine; and his great-nieces, great-nephews, great-great-nephews, cousins and extended family members. He was predeceased by his brothers, Thomas Symonds, Clare H. “Sy” Symonds, Jr., and Edmund “Bud” Symonds.
A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 11:00am in St. Bernard Church, 185 Main Street, Keene. Burial with military honors will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, Main Street, Keene. There are no public calling hours.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mr. Symonds’ memory to the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD), D-H/Geisel Office Development, One Medical Center Drive HB 7070, Lebanon, NH 03756-0001; or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101-9929; or to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, PO box 970025, Boston, MA 02297-0025; or to a charity of one’s choice.
The Foley Funeral Home of Keene is assisting the family with the arrangements. To offer online condolences to the family or to share special memories, please visit www.foleyfuneralhome.com.
