Charles Lord

LORD, Charles "Chuck"

Charles "Chuck" Rutledge Lord passed away at home in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 26, 2023.

Chuck was born on December 19, 1929 in Watsonville, California, to Charles Herbert and Rita Mae Rutlegde Lord. The family moved to San Francisco in 1942, shortly after the start of the Second World War. In 1951, Chuck married Marilyn Joyce Keeley and they had two children before divorcing.

After graduating from San Francisco State University in 1966, Chuck was recruited to the accounting team at the Bay Area Rapid Transit Authority (BART), where prior experience and railroad knowhow added to his success with the organization.

In 1972, Chuck moved to Atlanta, Georgia to join the accounting team at the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), where he played a key role in pioneering new transit worker payroll and accounting systems. Chuck would spend the remaining entirety of his fruitful career with MARTA.

In November 1972, shortly after moving to Atlanta, Chuck met the love of his life, Katherine (Kappy) Skogstad. After a short courtship, the two were married and remained devoted to one another for forty seven years until her death in December of 2020.

Chuck was an active and devoted congregation member of All Saints Epicopal Church, where he will be interred alongside Kappy. In addition to a love of bird watching, road trips, travel and National Parks, Chuck was a member of the Society of Masons. Chuck developed many friends and social connections at Canterbury Court, where he was a member of the garden committee and community choral group.

Chuck is survived by his daughter, Karen Reneé Bowman; granddaughter, Morgan Bowman Huggins (Daniel); and great-grandchild, Holden; daughter, Katrina Son; granddaughter, Rachel Burnson (Javier Rivera), and great-grandchildren, Jasper and Mateo; sister-in-law, Ruth Skogstad; niece, Kristen Skogstad Sodemann (Chris) and their children, Jack, Maddie and Lawton; nephew, John Skogstad, Jr. (Mike Lavin); brother-in-law, Samuel Skogstad (Jane); niece, Dana Skogstad Shepperd (Ivan) and their daughter, Holly; nephew, Sam Skogstad III and his daughter, Ashley Skogstad Espina (Francisco) and their son, Benjamin; and "adopted" nephew, Tyler Ball.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a charity of your choice in Chuck and Kappy's honor. Chuck and Kappy were ardent supporters of nature and arts organizations.

A remembrance will be held in the Community Room at Canterbury Court, 3750 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30319, at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.