Charles Freeman Divelbiss, 82, died peacefully at his home in rural Johnstown, Ohio, on June 9, 2020, of metastatic prostate cancer. He was born January 23, 1938, in Butler, Ohio, the older son of Charles A. Divelbiss and Evelyn (Hitchman) Divelbiss; and graduated from Lexington High School in Lexington, Ohio, where he was an active Boy Scout. *
Upon graduating from the Ohio State University in 1960 he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. During ten years as a Marine he attained the rank of Captain and served two deployments in Vietnam, including commanding a company during the siege of Khe Sanh.
After military service he earned a masters degree ** from OSU and spent a career in the Scenic Rivers Division of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
He loved the natural world and spent as much time outdoors as he could, exploring as a child, gardening, camping and canoeing with friends as an adult, and creating an orchard and harvesting firewood at Clover Croft, as he named his acreage in Licking County.
He was also an avid reader and an avowed “Luddite” regarding digital technology who accumulated a houseful of books and a well-used library card.
“Chuck” made friends easily and was never happier than when enjoying family times. He is survived by two daughters, Shauna Keenan and Andrea McQueen and three grandchildren; his wife Betsy Humphrey and her three children and four grandchildren; sister Mary E. Richards, brother Richard I. Divelbiss (Beverly Bond Divelbiss), three nieces and three nephews and their families.
Although he remained a proud Marine veteran, he was staunchly anti-war and very committed to the democratic process. He would ask us all to become well informed on candidates and issues, and to vote in every election.
A memorial service will be held at Clover Croft at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you contribute to your local library or your favorite environmental or social justice charity in his name.
* I don't remember whether he was an Eagle Scout—I'm asking Dick if he remembers.
** I can't remember precisely what are his master's was in—maybe you have it there.
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