Charles Arthur Shear

Charles Arthur Shear, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, passed away peacefully at home on September 5, 2026, surrounded by family and friends after a three-year battle with cancer. Born on November 27, 1939, in a little house on south 3rd street, Grand Junction, Colorado, Charles, affectionately known as Chuck, lived a life marked with generosity, and love for his family and community.

Chuck was the son of Arthur and Violet Shear and grew up in a household on Independent Avenue in Grand Junction. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Patricia (Patti), with whom he shared a remarkable 64-year marriage. Together, they built a life filled with love and adventure, raising two sons, Quintin (Shari) Shear and Blake Shear, and enjoying the blessings of two grandchildren, Tucker (Brelyn) Shear and Olivia Shear, and one great-grandchild, Sutton Shear. He was Predeceased by his parents and his sister, Vera Lehman.

Chuck attended Grand Junction High School 1953-1957. The summer of 1957 he went to Idaho to attend smoke jumper school and work for the forest service. He returned to Grand Junction and graduated high school from Palisade High School in 1958. He graduated from Mesa Junior College in 1960 with an associate’s degree in business administration. In 1963 he graduated from Western State College with his bachelor’s degree in accounting.

From 1957-1961 Chuck spent his summers working for the Forest Service as a wildland firefighter in Idaho. After he and Patti married in 1962, they worked for the Grand Mesa Forest Service at the rock house/fire observatory at the top of Lands End . In 1963 he interviewed for an accounting job with Shell Oil and ended up meeting his lifelong friend Ted Amsbaugh and working under him as a Landman. In 1967 Chuck went to work for Wolf Oil and Gas in Denver where he met his future business partner Bill Barrett. In 1969 when Wolf Oil and Gas moved to Houston Bill and Chuck started BNC Exploration ("Bill 'n Chuck"). In 1971 BNC merged with Rainbow Resources where they enjoyed a successful run in the Rockies. In 1978 Rainbow Resources sold to Williams Companies and Chuck continued with Williams until 1979 when he chose to move back to Grand Junction and start Shear inc. He continued working with his son at Shear Inc. until he passed.

After living on the Grand Mesa, he and Patti spent the last year at Western State in Gunnison living in the married student housing where they met long-time friends and later in-laws Rod and Linda Power. There was no need for a freezer, they just hung their venison out the window. In 1963 they moved to Denver and raised their sons in the Arvada and Golden area. In 1979 they moved back to Grand Junction to be near family and old friends. They helped Patti's parents, Howard and Nina on their Kannah Creek Ranch and later bought a place of their own near Vega Reservoir. In 1998 they moved to Molina to be closer to the ranch and fell in love with the Plateau Valley area and its people. In 2018 they reluctantly moved back to Grand Junction for health reasons.

Chuck was a member of American Association of Professional Landman as a Certified petroleum Landman, he also served on numerous boards, including the Colorado Mesa University Foundation, Community Hospital, Central Banks of Colorado, Rocky Mountain Natural Gas, Mustang Drilling, Heritage Trust, and Western Colorado Hospice. He was an active member of the Grand Junction Downtown Rotary Club, the Grand Junction Masonic Lodge, Western Colorado Shriners, and Grand Junction Elks Lodge, always willing to lend a hand or share his expertise.

Chuck loved to travel, hunt, fish, play golf, ski and snowmobile. Chuck and Patti enjoyed traveling all over the world with many of their close friends including Bruton's, Copeland's and Lacroix's. He especially enjoyed hosting family and friends big game hunting, often spending a week with Ted Amsbaugh shopping and getting ready.

Chuck did not grow up with a lot, so it gave him great pleasure to share his successes with the people of Grand Junction, Plateau Valley and Colorado Mesa University. If a project involved kids, he couldn't say no. He was very proud of the transformation of Colorado Mesa University from Grand Junction Junior and his family heritage there.

There will be a Celebration of life scheduled late in September. A private Graveside service will be held at the Orchard Mesa Cemetary.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Chuck's memory to the Colorado Mesa University Foundation or Hopewest.

The Shear family extends their heartfelt gratitude to all the friends and family who supported them during Chuck's final months. A special thank you to the staff and nurses from Hopewest, whose care and compassion were invaluable.