Charles Henry Brier

Charles was born at home on November 22, 1924 to George Henry Brier and Edith Minerva Harrin Brier, in Moreno, California. Grandpa was born in 1887 and Grandma was born in 1896. (Which made grandpa 37 and grandma 28).

He lived on an orange ranch until 1931 when they moved to the family homestead in Butterfield, Missouri. Grandpa bought a 1924 Maxwell from Uncle Roy Ferguson (Aunt Hannah's husband) to make the trip. When they left California Grandpa shipped farm implements, Grandma's sewing machine, and a Victrola complete with music rolls. When they got to Butterfield Grandpa put the Maxwell in the barn and took the tires off. He figured how to run a radio using the two batteries from car. Butterfield was like everyplace else during the depression. Dad and his brothers attended Butterfield Elementary School in the primary room. Dad had many fond memories of his school friends and would later visit them when he could. The last day of school was a swimming trip to Roaring River, where years later he would return and bring his family for fun times and trout fishing.

Life was not easy. Grandma canned food, raised chickens, and sold eggs. Grandpa grew what ever he could; sorgham, tomatos, etc. to support them and make the farm work, but in 1936 Grandpa had had enough and decided it was time to put the tires back on the old Maxwell and head back to California. Grandpa wanted to see his sister Myrtle, so on their way to Southern California they went via Tacoma, Washington. (Grandpa didn't tell her they were coming). Along the Hood River they stopped and Grandpa went into a butcher shop and asked for $.25 worth of salmon. Dad remembered that it was a huge piece of fish and Grandma spent all night cooking it!

When they got to Redlands they settled into a rent house on Tribune Street for a few months. Then they moved to a brick house on Grant Street, just behind Courtner's Funeral Home. Dad lived there and went to school at Redlands Junior High and Redlands High School until he dropped out in the 10th grade. Dad started selling newspapers and won several awards for selling subscriptions. He won a rifle and two trips to Catalina Island. He remembered a time when he and some friends went to The State Theater on State Street. They were having a movie premier and George "Gabby" Hayes drove up. He got out of his ride with a coat over his arm, looked at the boys and said "It's kinda hot today boys". Dad thought that was a hoot!

In 1943, when dad was 19 he enlisted in the Army. He did his training in Cheyanne, Wyoming, and then shipped out to New Guinea where he served at the hospital at Melani Bay. He was there for awhile, then two weeks after Mac Arthur landed on Leyhti - so did dad. He was attached to the 126 General Hospital betweeen Palo Palo and Tacloban, Leyhti Island, Phillipeans. Dad said he liked being stationed at the hospitals. "They always had good food, there was a stage where movies were shown regularly and U.S.O. shows would perform. One time he saw Joe E. Brown!

When Dad got home from the Army, Grandma and Grandpa Brier had moved and bought their home at 1021 Ohio Street. He met Juanita Louise McKinney and fell in love. On May 10, 1946 they were married in Yuma, Arizona, witnessed by his best friend Floyd Earls and sister-in-law Hope Brier.

Dad found a job working at The Pest Control - spraying the tree orchards, smudging, etc. In the spring of 1947 work was slow, so dad and mom loaded the old Oldsmobile and headed for Washington to find Grandpa Brier and hopefully find some work picking cherries where he was working. I guess they really suprised Grandpa. Dad and Mom both worked picking cherries. Mom was expecting Sherry, and Grandpa about had a fit when he saw her with a cherry sack across her middle. When they came home Dad went back to his job at The Pest Control.

Sherry was born in 1947, Garry was born in 1949, and in 1950 they signed a contract to buy a house in a new housing tract that was being built. The lot where they bought was all orange groves. The house was finished in 1951 and they moved in with Sherry and Garry. That summer work was slow again for The Pest Control, so Dad loaded his little family up and headed north again. When they found Grandpa Brier he was with a group of workers who watched this old pickup pull up and a couple and two little kids got out. Some guy asked who that was and Grandpa Brier said "oh probably just some Okies"! He about fell over when he figured out it was Dad and Mom. They worked about 6 weeks picking fruit and then headed back home. There was still no work for Dad, so he went and got his Class 1 Driver License (CDL). The first trucking company he went to didn"t have any jobs. The second one - PFL - accepted his application and hired him to work on the dock for the afternoon, then told him to come back the next day. That was the begining of 35 years with what would become Pacific Motor Trucking - of PMT.

In 1954 everyone got a special Christmas gift. Linda was born Christmas Eve, and in 1959 Ken was their New Years Eve little tax deduction.

The following years were spent with work, camping at the beach and mountains, long summer vacations traveling the U.S.A., and spending time with all his family. Dad retired in 1987 and spent over 30 years traveling the country with mom and spending time with his 4 kids, 13 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren, and 6 great great grandchildren.

He lost the love of his life in 2017. They were married 70 years.

Recently, when Dad talked about his life, he said he was the most proud of his children and their families.