Charles Edwin Donaldson

September 28, 1942 - February 4, 2023 Sacramento, CA - The man I call "Pops" gave his final adieu in typical dramatic fashion during the evening hours of Saturday, February 4, 2023. Born September 28, 1942 to parents Austin and Virginia Donaldson with the official name of Charles Edwin Donaldson, he was known by several nicknames including Charlie, Chuck, Chaz and a few other unprintable monograms. To his family he was known as Pops, the Old Man, Uncle Charles and Grandpa.

A practical joker at heart, there seemed no end to his exploits. It started early in life as a teenager when he blew the muffler off his father's car, carefully rolled it to its parking spot, and let his father discover the deed when he started the car the next morning. Then came the exciting car ride back into town after a semi-successful hunting trip with his Brahma Dave and younger brother Jerry, with their one kill of the day, a fox that promptly woke up in a bad mood when they hit the city limits.

Pops was always available to help family, especially his two young daughters and four nieces when they decided to hold a s?ance. He and his Brahma guaranteed the event was not only successful, but continued to captivate their attention for the rest of the night. Pops also made sure his daughters were entertained whenever they were "hired" to babysit their baby brothers, usually to the movie theme of When a Stranger Calls, including the creepy phone calls and unnerving candy on the pillow.

One bright and sunny morning on the campus of UC Berkeley Pops attempted to help his youngest daughter win a scholarship by impersonating a visiting professor of BS and merrily intimidate the other candidates. For a while the story was only told at small family gatherings, until a letter arrived ten years later addressed to Dr. Charles Donaldson. It was an invitation to a faculty mixer at UC Berkeley.

On my fifteenth birthday Pops was introduced to sushi rolls. After trying a few he decided he liked the taste and texture and went for the curious green glob sitting by itself in the corner of the platter. That night my father was introduced to wasabi and it took the help of a waiter, a sushi chef and three pitchers of ice cold water before he was able to breathe again.

After his retirement from SMUD in 2004, Pops decided to travel and eventually made his way to Icy Strait Point, Alaska in 2008 where, at the age of 66, he proceeded to ride the world's longest zip line, ignored the carefully given instructions on how to stop, and gave a new meaning to the term "kick up your heels."

Pops is survived by his loving wife, Vicki, his sister and Brahma, Judy and David Woolensack, his two daughters, Kathy and Debbie, his two sons, Steve and Scott, his nieces, Peggy, Nancy and Cheryl, his nephews Patrick and David, and his grandchildren, Augustin, Josh, Austin, Benjamin, Liam, Adam, Gavin, Elissa, Ronan and Ella, his dog, Geo and cat Bruce.

The family invites you to Pops' Celebration of Life on Saturday, March 25 at the Tahoe Park Pavilion, under the Gazebo, 3501 59th Street, between 11 AM - 4 PM.