Charles William Ford was 88 years old when he passed away peacefully from natural causes surrounded by family in Paradise, California on July 22, 2013.
Charles was born in Los Angeles on July 7, 1925. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 – 1946, in the Asiatic-Pacific area, American Area, and he received a World War II Victory Medal.
On October 17, 1946 he married Wanda Lewis at the Mission Inn, in Riverside, California.
In 1946 he graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Civil Engineering. For forty-two years he worked for the State of California, Department of Transportation (CalTrans). He became the Deputy District Director in Southern California, and was the creator of the "Diamond Lane".
He and Wanda lived in Los Angeles until 1986 when they moved to Paradise, California to be closer to family. He then continued as an engineering consultant for the State. He was always known as having a quick wit, a great mastery of the English language and a "word wizard". His hobbies included world travel, volleyball, golf, reading, music, and he loved animals. He was a master of maps. His diverse talents included all kinds of automobile and home maintenance. In 1988, he and his daughter Kim acted as general contractors for building their homes in Paradise. In 2007, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting Ireland, with two of his daughters.
He was a member of the Paradise Seventh-Day Adventist Church, He especially enjoyed having breakfast once a month with "The Old Goats", friends from church.
He is survived by his wife, Wanda of 67 years and three daughters Karen Ford and (John Dingler) of Portland, OR; Kim (Tom) Stewart of Paradise, CA; and Jan (Jeff) Hamlin of Corvallis, OR; eleven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
A Memorial service will be held at the Paradise Adventist Church Fellowship Center on Saturday, August 3, at 4:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Feather River Hospital, Paradise Hospice, 1289 Billie Road, Paradise, CA 95969.