Charles M. Chambers

Charles M. Chambers

March 30, 1918-March 4, 2011 Charles M. Chambers was born near Centralia, WA and died at home in Lacey, WA on March 4, 2011. He was the son of the late Charles M. Chambers and Arella (Tomlinson) Chambers.
He is survived by his wife of sixty-two years, Elizabeth ("Bette") Chambers, at the family home in Lacey where they have resided since 1974. He is survived by his sister, Mary Rosendahl; nephew, Charles Tolkien; and niece, Charlaine Tolkien, all of Minnesota; daughters, Janice E. (Chambers) Sharar and son-in-law E. Kurt Sharar of Ellensburg. WA; and Patrice L. Chambers and her partner, Greg Land of Punkin Center, AZ. His daughter, Martha Jean Chambers, died in 1996. He leaves three grandsons, Austin Paul Chambers and Nicholas Charles Chambers of Thurston County. His three great- grandchildren, born to grandson Austin Chambers and Tara Claplanhoo, live in Bucoda.
Charles completed a long career in the federal Civil Service, retiring in 1981. He worked with the Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with posts in Eureka, CA, Sacramento, Minneapolis, Portland, OR, Spokane, and Olympia. As a research biologist, he did scientific studies primarily on salmon and migratory waterfowl. Before beginning his career in biological science, in the early 1950's he had a brief posting with U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an inspector in the Seattle district.
An Army veteran of the Second World War, Charles was honorably discharged at Fort Lewis in 1947. Prior to this, he spent most of the war as a seaman gunner on a depth-charting ship, the Explorer, in the Aleutian Islands.
While completing a Master's degree from the University of Washington, he taught several laboratory sections in the Zoology Dept. where he met his future wife, then Elizabeth B. Johnson, a Zoology student. They were married in Seattle in 1949. He received his Master of Science degree in 1950.
His lifelong interests were preserving the natural environment. He was a longtime member of the local Black Hills Audubon Society, as well as the National Wildlife Federation, Earth Justice, Nature Conservancy, and Ocean Conservancy, among many.
An avid bird-watcher, he enjoyed wood carving, designing and building boats, and camping at the couple's beach at Whidbey Island. He often went on bird-watching trips with friends in the greater Olympia area to the southwestern states, and the couple also traveled to Australia, Costa Rica, Alaska, and the Caribbean.
With his wife, he was a lifetime member of the American Humanist Association. He enjoyed the "Darwin Party" luncheons every Friday at Anthony's. He was an active supporter of the Democratic Party, and his letters-to-the-editor often appeared in The Olympian.
A memorial for family and friends is planned. Contributions to the Capitol Land Trust are suggested.