Colonel Charles M. "Chuck" Minerman

Colonel Charles M. "Chuck" Minerman, USAF (Ret), call sign Blackbird, flew off into the wild blue yonder with no notice or flight plan on May 23, 2024 after 83 trips around the sun. He was one of those people you think could be around forever, but beyond the pearly gates the audience for his endless stories, factoids, insights, and humorous anecdotes must've been too good to pass up. And so, with a tip of the wing and only a bit of turbulence on takeoff, he was on his way.

There's no way to adequately cover his life in these relatively few words; he lived an accumulation of overlapping circles, like the Olympic logo but at least four times the number of rings. He was an Iowa farm boy, athlete, musician, attorney, elected and appointed municipal official, guardian ad litem, corporate counsel, emergency government professional, airport manager, FEMA contractor, optician, pilot, sports broadcaster, writer, museum docent, governing board director, Shriner, Rotarian, American Legionnaire, rabid sports fan, and lover of convertibles from Mustangs and Miatas to a Karmann Ghia and Sunbeam Alpine - all wrapped up in his ultimate identity of duty, honor, and country serving in the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force Reserves, and Wisconsin Air National Guard for 31 years.

Growing up in Exira IA, he was the adopted son of Ethel and Walter "Buck" Minerman who had remained childless into their 50s. They received this fortuitous gift of adoption from her nephew, who'd married a cabaret singer in California who quickly left he and their toddler son behind to chase her musical career. Charles had the benefit of being surrounded by his extended biological family because of the nature of the adoption, and small-town Iowa became the foundation of his character. Minerman Ford, Buck's service and dealership business in Exira, nurtured his love and appreciation for cars - Fords in particular.

He graduated from Exira High School in a class of 39 students, most of whom remained devoted friends over the years. As a three-sport athlete and musician, he juggled football, basketball, baseball, marching and concert band, choir, and even a dance band for hire with some of his fellow classmates. His true love was baseball though, and he played for the Arizona Cardinals farm club team for a brief period during his college years. After sampling semesters at a few regional colleges, he landed at Drake University to pursue his education in earnest. Shortly after arriving on campus, he also pursued a beautiful and equally athletic Kappa from Chicago named Ada Lou "Louie" Carlson, and they were married a year later as he worked his way through law school and she got her teaching degree.

Within months of being admitted to the Iowa State Bar in February 1965, his Army draft number came up. He'd already been offered a 1st Lieutenant commission as a JAG in the Air Force, so he eagerly accepted that and launched what would become a multi-decade military career that took him to bases, conferences, and campuses across the country. During active duty and his time in the Reserves, he was assigned to Carswell AFB in Fort Worth TX and K.I. Sawyer AFB in Gwinn MI. While serving with the Air National Guard, he was attached to the 128th Air Refueling Wing at General Mitchell ANG Base in Milwaukee. His proudest assignment, however, was Area Liaison Officer for the U.S. Air Force Academy, having guided dozens of young achievers in securing nominations and appointments over the years.

As a card-carrying workaholic, he never had fewer than two paying jobs and a couple volunteer service roles at any given time. His military assignments always complemented something else, from his legal career and other civil service to a post-retirement resurgence as a licensed optician. He was a private-practice attorney, Prosecuting Attorney, and County Airport Manager in Menominee MI; private-practice attorney, Director of Emergency Government, and Guardian ad litem in Marinette WI; and corporate counsel for Federated Insurance in Madison, WI.

In "retirement" he embraced opticianry and worked part time retail hours at Lenscrafters before starting his own practice, then moved to Pensacola where he provided paralegal services for a law office because he didn't want to sit for the Florida bar exam in his 60s. From Pensacola he also traveled the country for FEMA using his disaster preparedness training to organize teams that helped flood and storm victims connect with available resources. He finally fully retired to Laughlin NV at age 72, where he could focus all his energy on giving back.

Although his philanthropic work began as soon as he left active duty, it continued into his 80s. He served with a wide range of charitable organizations in that time, usually in leadership roles and always giving of his time, talent, and resources freely. A quote he lived by, from lawyer Albert Pike, sums it up:

~What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.~

He touched and influenced countless lives with his generous heart and genuine desire to be of service.

He's survived by his daughters Jennifer Schaerer (Marc) of Kanab UT and Anne Olszewski (Dan) of Myrtle Beach SC, and grandchildren Harrison Olszewski, Catherine Schaerer, Evan Olszewski, and Max Schaerer. Although they divorced 33 years ago, he remained in touch with Louie throughout the years, and has two half-sisters, Carol Lundstrom and Nancy Miller in the Twin Cities area. He was a proud father and grandfather who never missed an opportunity to sing the praises of his daughters, sons in law, and grandchildren to anyone who would listen, especially in the grocery store, bellied up to a bar, or on Facebook.

Over the past week he's surely shared a well-earned beer with so many who were waiting through those soaring gates above, and everyone reading this can look forward to him greeting you, cold one in hand and stories to tell, when you join him - he treasured every experience and person he met along the way. The things he did and people he knew were voluminous sources of content for the exquisitely talented storyteller he was, and he could curate content and details to weave engaging tales of fact...and near-fact or humor when it suited his need. As the many who loved and respected him find comfort in remembering shared service, friendship, and laughter over a good story, a quote by Morrie Schwartz serves as the epilogue in his life story:

~Death ends a life, not a relationship. All the love you created is still there. All the memories are still there. You live on in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here.~

Interment and ceremony will be at Pikes Peak National Cemetery, Colorado Springs CO, on 3 July 2024 at 1100 hours with full military honors. All are welcome. Independence Day was his favorite holiday and this year, in our hearts, the celebration will be just for him. If you fly the flag and watch the fireworks, please join us from wherever you are and send a wave, salute or kiss skyward for him.

If you'd like to honor his legacy of philanthropy and military service, please consider a donation to either of these two organizations:

Air Force Academy Foundation

www.afacademyfoundation.org

American Legion Auxiliary

www.legion-aux.org