Charles Truman Markee

Having lived a long and fulfilling life until his final resting after 90 years, Charles Truman Markee passed away on March 16, 2025 in San Jose, CA. He is loved and missed by his wife, Linda Sims; 9 children & their spouses, Christopher & Crystal (Schultz) Markee, Dean & Lorna (Hall) Markee, Siobhan Markee & Lon Winkler, Nadia (Markee) & Frank Neri, Kai Markee, Seinin Markee, Cassidy & LaGrande (Powe) Markee, Kennedy Markee and Wilson Allan Thompson; 12 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his sister Patricia Markee, son Keith Charles “Casey” Markee and granddaughter Sierra Markee-Winkler.

Charles was born to Truman Loy and Margaret Aloysia (Kehoe) Markee on October 8, 1934 in San Francisco, CA. Along with his “kid-sister” Patricia, He was raised in an Irish Catholic family, attended Catholic schools and church and was a altar-boy throughout most of his childhood. Some of his fondest memories as a child was playing with cousins and neighborhood friends in the streets of San Francisco, big family Christmas parties and vacations to their summer cabin in San Geronimo (MarinCounty), CA. It is while his family lived alongside his Aunt Dot’s family and with Grandma Kehoe in a three story Victorian home on San Francisco’s Church Street that Charles developed strong family bonds.

After graduating from Sacred Heart High School in 1952, Charles eagerly left the city to spend his summer working in rural Central Valley on “The Golden State Highway” (Route 99) expansion, contributing to California’s development and history. He spent his free time exploring the nearby wilds of Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada Mountains that kindled his lifelong love and advocacy for the natural world.

Back in “civilization”, Charles studied Engineering at University of California, Berkeley. After serving a 2-year Army stint, he returned to UCB and earned a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering. Charles then plotted a daring career path in the newly developing and uncertain field of computer technology, working for UC Berkeley Labs and NASA Ames to develop early super computers and later main-frame computers for major computer corporations like Amdahl and Fujitsu. Aspiring for more, he continued his graduate education in computer software design at University of California, Santa Cruz. As a manager and director of computer design, development and support, Charles helped advance computer and software technology for governmental institutions as well as corporations in the private sector, included banking and airlines.

While attending UC Berkeley, Charles met and married Cris Fitzpatrick in 1957. Both were enamored with the idea of a large family and proceeded to have 7 children of their own and then adopted 2 more young children into the family. As a father of 9, Charles was the patriarch of a large and tight-knit family. Soon he found himself inundated with love and laundry, merriment and mayhem. However, as time passed, differences developed that inevitably lead to divorce in 1974.

Then tragedy struck when Charles’s second child, Casey, died at 19 in a motorcycle accident. Charles eventually rose above the grief and pain as the family came together, strengthening their bonds and love for each other.

Brighter days laid ahead when Charles met and danced his way into the heart of Linda Sims. As single parents, they realized they could build a new family together. Their love provided a strong foundation for their future and they were happily married in beautiful Portola State Park,Woodside CA, in 1983. Charles, with his children Kai, Nadia, and Siobhan and Linda, with her young son Wilson, settled in Silicon Valley where they shared a renewed zest for life.

As an exercise junkie, arts enthusiast and an avid nature lover, he embraced a myriad of activities and hobbies in which he eagerly encouraged others to “give it a try”; including fitness, hiking, biking, camping, racquet ball, ping pong, windsurfing, ballet, theatre, music, writing, reading and exploring other cultures. Especially proud of his Irish ancestry, he was fond of Gaelic history, mythology, music and a good St. Patrick’s Day party. Later, he retired with Linda to the Sonoma County wine country to live a leisurely life and pursue their creative talents in writing and painting.

Among other professional accolades and affiliations, Charles was the President of San Jose Children’s Ballet Association, Member of Redwood Writer’s Association, Member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Writer’s Critique Groups of Sonoma County and The Villages Writer’s Group of San Jose.

Charles had said, “Even though I worked as a computer hardware and software engineer, my dream was to be a writer. When I retired in 2000 and moved from Silicon Valley to Santa Rosa, California I became a children’s book author. I wanted to write books to help boys discover the joy of reading. I wrote four children’s books and finally my last was a book of short stories which was published in the fall of 2024.”

Ultimately, Charles and Linda had moved back to San Jose to be closer to family. Charles valued family above all else. He believed the most important gift he could bestow his children was to live the example of a “good” life; with honor, integrity, respect, fun and love. He excelled on all accounts for which his kids frequently sought his guidance, wisdom and support. Charles was a generous, patient, compassionate family-man who will be deeply missed by his family and his friends