Charles F. Speidel

Charles F. Speidel, 88, of Newtown, CT, died at the Danbury Hospital on Sunday, May 20th, surrounded by family members. Charles was born in Rochester NY. He graduated from Aquinas High School. He is survived in Rochester, by his sister Mrs. John (Patricia) Gottschalk, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Charles attended St Michael's College in Toronto, Canada, and Duke University. He had a good time at Duke and, as he put it, was asked not to return. He joked about not being a good college student in a biography he wrote for his grandson and said it took him years to figure out what he wanted to do. He enlisted in the Navy and served on the USS Boxer. Charles did figure out what he wanted to do. He and three partners founded Qualitron Corporation in Danbury, CT from which he retired as CEO. As CEO, Charlie knew each employee by name, recognized their birthdays, and annually gave each one a poinsettia for Christmas. He was active in the local business organizations--Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce. As a community member, he was the volunteer photographer, archiver and historian of the Save the Hawleyville Post Office campaign. On opening day of the new Hawleyville Post Office, Charlie was given the honor of raising the flag at that facility for the very first time. He had purchased a new flagstaff for the old Hawleyville Post Office. Also, Charlie supplied new flags for the Old Hawleyville Post Office for the last 14 years. Charlie loved life, a good time, his golfing and skiing buddies, all his friends and his family. He did love playing golf. On October 10, 2010, Charlie hit a hole-in-one on the 10th green while playing with his foursome of many years. For this auspicious occasion, he used a driver. No one could be around Charlie without experiencing his genuine interest in them and their lives. Generosity flowed from Charlie like the Colorado River he enjoyed rafting down. There was sorrow in his life. He wife, Maureen Keenaghan Speidel of Richmond Hill, NY, predeceased him when she was 34. This loss left him with three young children to raise on his own. When Phyllis came into his life two years later, they were both widowed, with children. They met in September and married in November. The party started and never stopped. Phyllis and Charlie were in love up to the moment she passed away. How many pictures did Charlie take as the official volunteer photographer of the Danbury Hospital Golf Tournament, the ICAN Golf Tournament for Ann's Place, his own Daffodil Golf Tournament memorializing his deceased wife Phyllis, and as the unofficial photographer of every other event he attended? The hundreds of people who received albums filled with these photos of their special events can confirm that the photos numbered in the many of thousands. Sailing as a child with his father and his friends in a 14-foot dingy on Lake Ontario instilled in him a love of being on the water. His two youngest children remember canoeing on Lobster Lake in Maine with Phyllis, Charlie, and their two poodles, Sammy and Bucky. Rafting trips down the Colorado River with his grandchildren and sons-in-law, as well as cruises with family and friends, were for Charlie a source of excitement and fun. His most recent adventures included a cruise to Antarctica on the Endeavor, and a cruise to Tahiti on a four-masted clipper ship. Daughters Gay Alvarez, Diane Benton, Corinne Speidel, son Christopher Speidel, and son-in-law Robert Wasson, husband of deceased daughter, Catherine Wasson, survive Charles. 11 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren also survive Charlie. A grandson, Ryan Wasson, predeceases him. A mass to celebrate Charlie's life will be at St. Rose of Lima Church, Newtown, CT on Thursday, May 31, 2012 beginning at 10:30 am. The family will receive friends at the Green Funeral Home, 57 Main Street, Danbury, CT from 4 to 8 pm on Wednesday May 30, 2012. The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Cure CMD. Charlie's three-year-old great grandson, Carter Stevenson has a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy called Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. Cure CMD is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to research in hopes of finding a cure for both Congenital and Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. Currently, there is known treatment or cure for this disease. Donations checks may be made payable to "Cure CMD", with the Stevenson Family Fund written in the memo at the bottom of the check. Donations may be sent to Cure CMD, P.O.Box 701, Olathe, KS 66051.