Charles W. Chouiniere

Chouiniere, Charles W. FORT MYERS, Fla. Charles "Chuck" W. Chouiniere passed away peacefully on July 5, 2012, at the Hope Hospice House in Lehigh Acres, Fla. Charles is survived by his wife of 56 years, Doris (LaCasse) Chouiniere; son, Gene M. Chouiniere and daughter-in-law Robin (Firm-ender) Chou-iniere; daughter, Deborah A. (Chouiniere) Miller and son-in-law Gary Miller; son, Brian P Chouiniere and daughter-in-law Janine (Ferguson) Chouiniere; daughter, Colette A. (Chouiniere) Ryan and son-in-law Mark Ryan; son, Andrew C. Chouiniere and Andrea Cornett; daughter-in-law, Cheryl (Nelson) Taylor; nephew, Daniel Girard and wife Karen (Mooney) Girard; 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. In addition to members of his own family, Charles is survived by many other relatives and friends. Charles was predeceased by his parents and by his older brother. Charles was born on May 21, 1934, in Waterford, N.Y., son of Ephraim J. Chouiniere and Elizabeth A. (Colette) Chouiniere, youngest brother of William Chouiniere and Elizabeth (Betty Ann) (Chouiniere) Caruso. Charles grew up in Waterford, attending primary school at St. Anne's in Northside, followed by secondary school at LaSalle Institute in Troy, N.Y. and Keveny Memorial Academy in Cohoes, N.Y. Following secondary school, Charles attended Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y., graduating in 1955 with a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice. Charles met and fell in love with Doris LaCasse while she was nearby visiting her recently married older sister. They married in 1955 and initially settled in Waterford. Prior to retirement, Charles and Doris lived part-time in Lehigh Acres, Fla. and eventually settled full-time in Fort Myers. After working for many years with his father as a carpenter, Charles worked as an insurance claims adjuster. After working for a number of years for Commercial Union and Crawford & Co., he founded Fort Orange Claims Service. A past president of the Albany Claims Association, Charles was known for his attention to detail and broad knowledge of insurance, related law and construction. As a carryover from his youth, Charles participated in a number of individual or team sports, notably, softball, bowling, tennis and basketball. In addition, Charles was a dedicated supporter of most NY professional sports teams including the NY Yankees, the NY Giants and the NY Knicks. Charles leaves behind a loving wife and family that will miss him dearly. Very devoted to his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he will always be fondly remembered as Pip. Charles will be remembered in a service to be held at Blessed Pope John XXIII in Fort Myers on Friday, July 13, at 10 a.m. for family and friends. Following the service, Charles' ashes will be interred in a memorial garden plot at Blessed Pope John XXIII. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in the memory of Charles Chouiniere to the Lee Memorial Children's Hospital Capital Campaign in Fort Myers. For further information, please call 239-343-6950.