Charles D. Laudeman

Charles Dean Laudeman passed away peacefully on May 21st, 2025, surrounded by the love of his wife, Laurie and his sons, Will and Luke. He drew great strength from his faith to live life courageously and fully to the very end including embarking on "The Charles Laudeman Farewell Tour" with Laurie---a road trip adventure that took them to Texas to visit good friends and family, and then to New Orleans for time with family in Louisiana, New Orleans cuisine, and a day under the large oak tree at the Fais-do-do stage at JazzFest, his favorite place for Zydeco music. 

Charles was born in Bakersfield, California on a bluff overlooking one of the country's most prolific oil fields. His birthplace foretold of his later career as an oil and gas marketing executive, while his father's occupation as an oil and gas exploration executive moved him often to places like Anchorage, Alaska; Golden, Colorado; and Calgary, Alberta. This exposure to a variety of places and new people cultivated his ability to create meaningful, lasting relationships and to experience and to appreciate the great outdoors. 

After graduating from Wise Wood High School in Calgary, Charles interned on the North Slope of Alaska where he worked on oil drilling rigs, subsequently returning to California and beginning his college studies at Marymount Palos Verdes College and then transferring to the University of Southern California. Charles graduated from USC in 1989 and moved to Houston, Texas, where he began his career in oil and gas marketing. His outgoing and social nature was the basis for the professional successes and personal relationships he developed through his many skiing, hunting, fishing, hiking, golfing, and tennis adventures. 

Charles met the love of his life, Laurie, in Houston, Texas. They were married in Grand Lake, Colorado in 2000. Charles' life was filled with immense joy and many accomplishments. His twin sons, Will and Luke, born in 2004, were his pride and joy. Charles' family life, as well as the many friendships he and Laurie developed through the years, remained an integral and vital influence, shaping the path of his and his family's future. 

He was a natural nurturer, attentively caring for his relationships---always the one to reach out to his friends and family, keeping them close. He was always there for his family and friends (except, perhaps, on a powder day in Colorado). 

Charles will always be remembered for the love he had for his wife and sons and his enduring faith to live as a good Christian. He had a gregarious spirit, a passion for traveling and hiking the world, and an intense love of great music, especially The Grateful Dead, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Zydeco. 

Charles is survived by his wife Laurie, his sons Will and Luke, his mother, Barbara, his sister, Lisa, his brother Scott, and many aunts, cousins, nephews, and nieces. He will be dearly missed by all whose lives he touched through his kindness, joy, and love for life. 

In lieu of flowers, please make a special memory with the ones you love. 

There will be a Memorial Service on July 12, 2025, at 10:00 am at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado