Charles Edward Harwood

Charles Edward Harwood

January 24, 1932 – August 23, 2025

Charles "Chuck" Edward Harwood, age 93, of Vergas, Minnesota, passed away Saturday, August 23, 2025, at Flagstone Care Center in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

He was born January 24, 1932, near Maddock (Fillmore), North Dakota, to Russell Kahler and Clara (Nestegard) Harwood, and was the fifth of six children.

Charles was an educator and an outdoorsman. He served in the US Navy during the Korean War on the Aircraft Carrier USS Essex CV 9 as a radar/sonar electronics technician. After the Navy, he attended Moorhead State University where he met Glory Ann Alma Lemke, and they were married on August 10, 1957. He began his career by teaching math and metal shop in Roseville, Minnesota. After he earned his Doctorate in Education from the University of Minnesota, he served for many years as President of the Rochester AVTI, now the Rochester Community and Technical College. Charles worked with members of the Minnesota State Legislature to significantly increase the size of the educational facility. As an outdoorsman he spent much of his free time taking his family camping, fishing, and hunting. Notably, as a sportsman, he conducted firearm safety classes for youth.

Charles was gifted with both outstanding technical skills and incredible social and articulation skills. He fabricated many, many, practical devices in his home machine and welding shop. He had a lifelong love of poetry and memorized lengthy poems such as "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold. He loved birds, gardening and flora, and was able to identify varieties of most birds and plants, having possessed and read many books on the topics. He had large gardens and planted trees and orchards. He was involved in churches in the Vergas area and in Mesa, Arizona, and was always prepared to help a neighbor. He was a generous and gracious man.

Charles is survived by his wife, Glory; four Sons and their wives, Russell (Kim), Richard (Christine), Edward (Carol) and Gordon (Suzzanne); Brother-in-law Malcolm Watson; 15 grandchildren; 2 step-grandchildren; and 31 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his five siblings Esther Watson, Ruth Rabenberg, Lloyd Harwood, Richard Harwood, and Mary Newman.

A celebration of remembrance of Charles's life will be held at 11:00 am on October 4, 2025, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Perham, Minnesota.

Noting Charles's love of trees, In lieu of flowers, please forward any memorials and remembrances to the Arbor Day Foundation.