Charles Mowery Lentz

1930 - 2020

Charles Mowery Lentz
January 5, 1930 - September 5, 2020
Rancho Murieta, California - Rancho Murieta resident Charles "Chuck" Mowery Lentz passed away on September 5, 2020. Chuck passed away peacefully at home, as he always wanted it to be, surrounded by family. At the time of his passing, Chuck was 90 years old, and he died of natural causes. Chuck was survived by his loving wife Donna, son Rick and family, son Randy, step-daughter Kim Beeghly and family, step-son Mike Glimstad and family, step-daughter Kelly Kynaston and family, and his sister Peggy McGuire. Chuck was preceded in death by his daughter Linda Westphal and sister Nora Amato.
Chuck was an amazing man, who lived an amazing, almost unbelievable life. He was born in Independence, Missouri on January 5, 1930. Chuck was an avid aviator, and his love for flying has been a constant in his life. He learned to fly at the age of 15, in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. After high school, at the age of 17, Chuck enlisted in the Navy, embarking on a career that took him to Korea on three tours of duty, and later, to Vietnam where he served six tours. He flew a total of 400 combat missions, before retiring from the military in 1969. Though Chuck had countless metals, ribbons and other memorabilia, nothing could compare to his own gravelly voice to give the history of his military career! Another highlight of Chuck's military life was when he was one of only six military aviator veterans to be selected from throughout the Country to lead the 36th Annual Las Vegas Veterans Day Parade in 2006.
Chuck flew almost everything the Navy had at the time and was often used as a test pilot for new innovative aircraft. One of his accomplishments was that he was one of the first to fly an aircraft into the eye of a hurricane for monitoring purposes. Between the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Chuck commanded an aircraft in Airborne Early Warning Squad Four, better known as VW-4, the Navy Hurricane Hunters. In this, he chased hurricanes for two years, penetrating the eye 87 times in 27 storms. Additionally, Chuck was part of the 1959 training session for the newly minted astronauts, training with the likes of Scott Carpenter and Gene Cernan, in the retrieval exercise that tethered the astronauts to his plane. Chuck also helped develop and test the "Skyhook" program, which was developed to extract officers out of hostile situations without the plane ever having to land. This system was used at the end of the James Bond film "Thunderball;" in that movie scene, Chuck is the one actually flying the plane!
Chuck also had a passion for golf. This, combined with his love for flying, is primarily what lead him to the Rancho Murieta Community in the early '80s. He kept his vintage aircraft at the local airport, where he was a member of the Rancho Murieta Aviators Club, a group of local pilots who met every Sunday. When Chuck wasn't flying, you could often find him out on the golf course. Amidst countless military awards and memorabilia in their home, there are six hole-in-one trophies with Chuck's name on them!
Following his military career, Chuck would go on to launch "Air San Jose," which boasted one DC-3 aircraft used for chartering business executive travel. From there, he went on to own five Bail Bond agencies in the Bay Area, before taking on the task of starting up a pistachio farm, which he managed up until his passing. There wasn't much Chuck couldn't do when he put his mind to it.
Through his military career, having served the majority of it flying in combat, Chuck developed an outspoken, loud and boisterous persona, which without question is an asset in that environment; however, at home and to his friends and family, Chuck was one of the most loving, caring and generous people you would ever meet. He deeply loved his wife Donna, children, step-children, and numerous grandchildren/great grandchildren. He will be deeply missed, yet never forgotten.