CHARLES E. BROWN

CHARLES E. BROWN, 84, of Huntington, passed away peacefully August 13, after a short illness.

Charlie is survived by his wife of 63 years, Helen; their three boys, Mark (Kathy and son Nathan) of Huntington, Gene (Michele and children Aidan and Lilly) of Versailles, Ky., and Charlie (Monica and children Evan and Claire) of Cincinnati, Ohio. Also cousins, Susie Ziegenfus (Kutztown, Pa.) and Kathy Bromer (Davidson, N.C.) Charlie was born and raised in Columbia, Pa. He was with the Air Force in Geneva, N.Y., when he met Helen, briefly courted her by mail, then announced he was driving to Indianapolis, Ind., to help her move. His plan worked, and they soon married. After stints in Texas, New York and Lexington, Ky., they put down roots in Huntington. His work as an industrial engineer and later as head of facilities at Marshall didn't define him; he fell into the "work to live" category. His passion for woodworking began in the 1960s. Charlie's thimbles, weed pots and bowls were sold nationwide; he won numerous awards and demonstrated his craft at Tamarack Arts Center and across the Southeastern USA. Volunteer work at Faith in Action and digitizing the vault archives at Huntington Museum of Art (and as their Santa with a real white beard) was a joy. He and Helen spent most afternoons sipping coffee and holding court at Java Joint and more recently River & Rail Bakery. As his neighbor said last week, "You don't see many 84-year-olds in West Virginia with an Equality bumper sticker." The last paragraph of dad's memoirs put it simply: "My childhood in Columbia gave me a deep appreciation of people from all walks of life. My father's family were German Catholics. My mother's side were Mennonite and Jewish. Our neighbors were Orthodox Jews and we lived in a large Amish area. I learned all people are the same no matter their background. The older I am, the more I believe this." A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. September 30 at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church, 469 Norway Ave., Huntington, WV 25705, followed by a 4 p.m. reception at River and Rail Bakery, 210 11th St. downtown. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Huntington Museum or Art. From his entire family, thank you, everyone, who loved Charlie and enriched his life - we're sure he did the same for you.