Dr. Charles William Kreidler, 88, passed away on April 19, 2013 peacefully at his home in Washington DC. He was the beloved husband of the late Carol J. Kreidler for 45 years until her death in 2004. He is survived by his sister, Margaret McHugh, his brother Joseph Kreidler, his son James (Cynthia) Kreidler, and his daughter Julia (Michael) Hickey. He is also survived by six loving grandchildren. He was born in Frankfort Kentucky and served as an Ensign in the Navy on an amphibious ship in the Pacific from 1943-46. He received a BA in Spanish from the University of Cincinnati in 1949, an MA in Linguistics in 1951, and a Ph.D. in Linguistics in 1958, both from the University of Michigan. He was a Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University from 1963 until his retirement in 1993 and also served as Department Chair for a time prior to his retirement. His late wife, Carol J. Kreidler, was a Georgetown faculty member from 1976 to 1996 in the Department of Linguistics and the Division of English as a Foreign Language, where she served as division head prior to her retirement. Together they enjoyed teaching and traveling. Dr. Kreidler received three Fulbright scholarships for teaching linguistics in Ecuador, Brazil and Paraguay, and also lectured in South Africa, Germany, Mexico, Japan, and Thailand. He authored four textbooks on linguistics: The Pronunciation of English, Our English Vocabulary, Describing Spoken Language, and Introducing English Semantics. His clear and straightforward approach to explaining complex linguistic concepts has been credited for promoting accessibility to the discipline for students globally. A passionate gardener, in 1975 he started the Friendship Community Gardens on Van Ness Street in Tenleytown with two neighbors and remained active with the garden for more than 30 years. A Memorial Mass will be held on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 10a.m. at Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart on the campus of Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets, N.W., Washington, DC 20007. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Meals on Wheels Association of America: https://www.mowaa.org/ or Defenders of Wildlife: http://www.defenders.org/.
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