Charlie’s family moved to Madera, California when Charlie was eight years old where his family had a farm. When he was in the eighth grade his family moved to Kerman, California where they purchased a farm and still farm there today. During his freshman year at Kerman High School he met and fell in love with the love of his life, Joyce Davis who attended Jr. High school. They met at the Kerman Harvest Festival where he asked her to ride the Ferris wheel and to quote one of Charlie’s favorite saying, “We have been going ‘round and ’round ever since.”
During high school, Charlie played basketball in the old Kerman gym, competed in the pole vault and played football for four years. After high school he joined the US Navy and “saw the world through a porthole.” When he came home on leave in 1952, he asked Joyce to marry him and two weeks later they were married on September 12, 1952 in Fresno California. This September would have marked their 65th wedding anniversary.
After they were married, the family flew to Illinois where Charlie was stationed. In Illinois the first son George was born. From Illinois he was assigned to a ship and they moved to Rhode Island. He boarded the ship in Philadelphia and sailed to Hawaii. As he sailed, Joyce flew home to Kerman with their son George. Two weeks after her arrival in Kerman their second son Scott was born. All joined Charlie in Hawaii where Charlie was now stationed. After four years of service in the Navy Charlie was discharged and the family flew back to Kerman where Charlie took up his first love, farming.
Charlie and Joyce came to Christ at Butler Mennonite Church in Fresno. They became involved in helping with the youth, including a mission trip to Mexico. At the Mennonite Church they were also involved in Bible studies and gained many lifelong friends.
Around 1975 Charlie and Joyce joined the recently formed Kerman Covenant Church. Charlie served on the church board at Kerman Covenant, was also a trustee for the Kerman Floyd Elementary School and later the Kerman Unified School District.
George attended Tabor College in Kansas where he played football and met his future wife Nancy. Scott went to Fresno Pacific College where he met his future wife Julie. After marriage both sons returned home to farm. During this time Charlie loved to fly his weedhopper ultralight. He ordered and assembled his weedhopper from a box. It had a Clorox bottle for a gas tank. While flying he enjoyed activities such as chasing robbers from his mother’s home, flying over the Kerman Harvest Festival parade and many crash landings. Thankfully he was never seriously injured.
Charlie and Joyce enjoyed spending time with all their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and attending their many activities. Grandsons Brad and Nathan grew to love farming and have joined working on the family farm.
Charlie never knew a stranger, had a unique sense of humor, was loved and will be deeply missed.
Charlie is survived by his wife Joyce Weis; son and daughter-in-law, George and Nancy Weis, Son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Julie Weis, grandchildren Bradley, Branne, Kimberly, Nathan; preceding his in death grandson Eric and two great-grandchildren TJ and Tanner.
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