Charles D. Buell

Charles Donald Buell, 85, of Williamsburg, Virginia, passed away in his sleep on January 6, 2025.
He is survived by his wife, Martha Ann Hamilton Buell; his sons Mark Darius Buell and Keith Charles Buell; and five grandchildren: Madison, Maya, Olivia, Hayden, and Luke. He was preceded in death by his parents, Darius David Buell and Charlotte Leonhardt Buell, of Elmira, Michigan; his brother, Thomas Bingham Buell of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and grandson Montgomery Charles Buell.
Chuck was born on April 4, 1939, in Detroit, Michigan. His family moved to a potato farm in Elmira, Michigan, when Chuck was 7 years old. Chuck had an active and vibrant childhood on the farm-learning to drive at age 9, dynamiting tree stumps to clear fields for planting, and hauling irrigation pipe to build his strength while earning 11 cents per hour-the same wage his father paid to all the hired farm help.
Chuck earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Michigan Tech and a master's degree from the University of Michigan. He then packed all his belongings in a Triumph convertible and drove to California. He took up sailing and scuba diving while living on the beach. Chuck met Martha Hamilton from Illinois in Long Beach in 1968, and they were married on May 9, 1969.
Chuck had a fascinating career as an aerospace engineer, working on the descent engine of the Lunar Lander in the Apollo program and ensuring that the antennae on the Pioneer space probes always pointed back to Earth. His later career included work on drones, missile defense, and other programs that remain top secret.
Martha and Chuck had two boys, Mark and Keith, in California, later moving to Minnesota, Massachusetts, and eventually settling in Northern Virginia. Chuck and Martha moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, for retirement in 2002. They doted on their grandchildren and enjoyed travelling across the United States and the world with them. The highlights of the year were always the annual trip to Fair Hills Resort in Minnesota with the entire family and Christmas gatherings in Virginia.
Chuck was married for 55 years to Martha, and he showed his love for her by signing all his Christmas presents to her with YLH for "Your Loving Husband."
Chuck and Martha moved to the WindsorMeade community in 2020, where they made many wonderful friends. In his retirement, Chuck became an avid photographer and was known for his bird photographs as well as serving as the unofficial photographer for the events in his community. Chuck loved the outdoors and continued his tradition of a daily four-mile morning walk until his last days.
A memorial service will be held at WindsorMeade in Williamsburg, Virginia, at 2 p.m. on January 18, 2025. All are welcome to pay their respects. In lieu of flowers, please donate to FISH (fishwilliamsburg.org), a charity that provides food and clothing to the Williamsburg community and where Martha has been an active volunteer for 20 years. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Charles, please visit our floral store.