Charles Edward O'Connor

In the midst of the Great Depression, a struggling Pueblo, Colorado farm family found they would soon be blessed with a child. On June second 1932 Charles and Bonita O’Connor became, dubious, parents of not a child but twins. Charles Edward and Iris Colleen arrived fifteen minutes apart, healthy, if not exactly planned. During some very lean years the family lost the farm and moved to town. The War Years gave the family some respite from financial calamity but Charles senior died of prostate cancer in 1947 further exacerbating the family’s delicate financial condition. Charles junior and his twin sister Colleen had paper routes and other teen age jobs much out of the need to help their mother during some rather tough times. These ventures gave both a good sense of value and a respect for hard work.

In 1951 those twin ventures stopped suddenly when both Chuck and Colleen applied to join the Air Force together. As fate would have it, Colleen passed her entrance physical and went on to start an Air Force career. Chuck flunked his, due to a kidney malady caused by a bout of Scarlet Fever early in life. Embarrassed and chagrined, Chuck came back to Pueblo feeling he was destined to sit out the Korean War as a civilian. A draft notice soon arrived in the mail. Another physical ensued and as fate would have it, no kidney or any physical malady ever became evident. Hurriedly re-applying to the Air Force Chuck began a rewarding twenty years from May 1952 to December of 1972 flying for his Uncle Sam.

The Korean War was not going well in May of fifty two when a group of new recruits were asked if they would prefer taking pilot training testing or spend an afternoon in calisthenics. The group, on-mass, elected to apply. In this group Chuck started a long process of flight training that culminated in earning pilots wings, and Air Force Commission as a Second Lieutenant. Flying planes from World War two B-29s to late model RC 135s Chuck acquired more than 7000 Flying hours, was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, Five Air Medals and four Commendation medals. For most of his career he flew Elint, electronics intelligence, aircraft full sophisticated electronics listening gear. Much of his flying was overseas, literally over seas like the Kara, Okhotsk, Caspian, Black, White, Yellow and a few gulfs like Tonkin, Thailand, and Oman. Retiring as a Light, Lieutenant Colonel, he counted his military years as some of his best.

Married to Arlene Campbell in 1958, their marriage was a true military marriage full of long absences. Their son Mitchell came along in April 1961and bore some of those absent Father times. The family traveled a lot to various Air Force assignments spending a welcome two and one half years together at Fairbanks, Alaska. On retiring the family settled in Spokane Washington affording them much more time together. Plans to build their retirement home had been a subject of many conversations and letters between Arlene and Chuck for many years. In 1977 they found the right tract of land and resources to start their dream, on five acres, on Long Lake, west of Nine Mile Falls, Washington. Unable to afford a builder they took on the building of the home themselves. On the day before Thanksgiving 1977 the family moved into a mostly finished Spanish looking, tile roofed rancher.

Unfortunately Arlene found the country living and other aspects of their union unacceptable. The couple divorced equitably in April 1980 with Chuck staying with the house. Chuck had started a remodel and small contracting business with some of the acquired knowledge he had from building his home. He had been doing odd jobs in the Nine Mile Falls area and now said he was going to charge for what he had been giving away for free. This building experience worked well for him for about fifteen years until, as he said, certain body parts mostly shoulders and knees began to show wear. In 1992 he dropped licenses and bonds for the contracting business and considered himself retired for the third time.

In 1982 Chuck met Gale Carlton who worked at the Nine Mile Falls Post Office. He had been watching Gale closely and noticed she had changed wearing a large ring from her left hand to her right. His perceptions were accurate as Gale was also divorcing. A whirl wind courtship ensued and they married on June 27th. Gale and Chuck incurring trials and tribulations enough for an entire life time, have now been together thirty nine years at this writing. It has been a wild Rolle coaster ride of great thrills and excitement sprinkled with a few heartbreaks and disappointments. Both are surviving well with large gobs of great joy and happiness in their union and lives. Not always as expected life has been a tremendously exhilarating journey for them both.

Besides Gale, cats, building, gardening, school boarding, ten years on the County Parks Advisory Committee and other interests; Chuck has immersed himself in writing having written two small books of poetry and published in numerous publications. He started a writers group with some friends that is now going on twenty two years as Spokane Authors and Self-Publishers.

That was my father’s biography, which he wrote in 2021. Dad passed away last Sunday, August 9th, in an almost storybook farewell. He was definitely fading the last few days, but he was coherent and able to communicate amazingly well. Gale had been by his side all day (and every day), holding the hand of her “lovey.” Grandsons Brian and Ed visited him in the morning, grandson David and his wife Emily after that. Then grandson Corbin, fiancé Cynthia, and daughter in law Terri were able to visit and say their goodbye’s. You could not have written a better script for a movie. He passed that afternoon with Gale and Mitch holding his hands, and Kari and Scott close at his bedside. Lot’s “I love you’s” all the way to the end.

The Spanish rancher that Dad built in 1977 burned to ground on August 1st in one of the Spokane complex fires. When he learned of its destruction, and I think he knew he was dying, he said it was “providence.”

Chuck’s twin sister Colleen passed away in 2021, and his older sister Pat in 1985. His legacy will continue as he leaves behind his most wonderful wife of 44 years Gale, son Mitch (Terri), step daughter Kari (Mark), step son Scott (Maureen), grandsons Corbin (Cynthia), Ed (Leta), Brian, Joel (Krystal), David (Emily), granddaughters Kelly, Amanda (Segan Mansfield), niece Teresa from Oroville, ten great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews.

He was a great man, who did many great things in his life. I remember when someone of note would die, or a friend would pass, he would recite this famous prose passage from the John Donne poem Devotions upon Emergent Occasions:

No man is an island,

Entire of itself.

Each is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less.

As well as if a promontory were

As well as if a manor of thine own

Or of thine friend’s were.

Each man's death diminishes me,

For I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to know

For whom the bell tolls,

It tolls for thee.