Charles Joseph Centala

Charles Joseph Centala, or "Chuck" as he was called by his family and friends, passed away Saturday, November 11, 2023, on Veteran's Day. He was born November 10, 1943, in Rogers City, Michigan. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Alfred Centala and Gladys Irene Spencer Centala; and his brother, Walter Centala, his sister, Diane Centala Hein, all of Rogers City, Michigan.
Charles is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Gloria Jeanne Centala of Lake Kiowa, Texas; his oldest son, Charles Centala, and wife, Jeanie, of Tampa Bay, Florida, and their children, Chris, Connor, and Chase; his oldest daughter, Tracy Swift, and husband, Don, of Choctaw, Oklahoma, and their children, Joseph, Ryan, Sarah, and Joel; his son, Scott Centala, and wife Sharon, of Belton, Texas, and their children, Sydney, Spencer, Madi, Brycen, and Emmi; his son, John Centala, and his wife, Jill, of Highland Village, Texas, and their children, Abigail and Lanee; his daughter, Krista Faulk, and her husband, Steve, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and their children, Emma, Landon, Edgar, and Michael. In addition to his 5 children and 18 grandchildren, he has 5 great-grandchildren, Slade, Sloane, Owen, Charlotte, and Red. He is also survived by his siblings, his sister, Joan Erickson; his brother, Michael Centala; his sister, Sue Buczkowski; and his brother, Richard Centala.
Charles grew up in Rogers City, Michigan, as a devoted Christian attending Catholic schools from first through eighth grade, where he served as an altar boy. He then graduated from Rogers City High School in 1961. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the United States Air Force with a passion for being an aircraft mechanic. During his 26 years of service as a Vietnam Veteran, he was stationed in Michigan, USA; Goose Bay AFB, Canada; Castle AFB, California; Clark AFB, Philippines; K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan; Phan Rang, Vietnam; Bitburg AFB, Germany; Woodbridge AFB, England; and Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, where he completed his Air Force career as Chief Master Sergeant.
His post-military career included continuing his passion for airplane safety and maintenance at AAR Oklahoma City and DynCorp Vance AFB, Oklahoma. He moved to Seattle, Washington with Claircom and AT&T in 1991.
He retired in 1996 in Seattle, Washington, and moved to North Dallas, Texas in 2019. In his retirement, he continued golfing, fishing, and woodworking, but most importantly to him, he spent time with his family.