CHARLES ALEXANDER MOTTL

September 15, 1917 -
April 24, 2018

Charles Alexander Mottl passed away on April 24th, after being blessed with 100 wonderful years on this Earth.

Born on September 15, 1917, in Prostejov, Czechoslovakia, to Alexander and Ida Motl, he spent his childhood years in Czechoslovakia and Germany. At the age of 17 he applied for and was awarded a two-year scholarship to attend Carleton College in Minnesota, which was the start of a whole new life in the USA. The year was 1936, and while traveling across the border of Germany, Charles was stopped by border guards, questioned and let go, only to learn that the very next day the border was closed with the start of World War II.

Having escaped what could have put an end to his dreams, he traveled by steamship to the US and started college. Not speaking much English, Charles became involved in everything he could and made many friends, including his future wife, Virginia Asmussen. The university staff liked him so much they offered him internships and assistantships to allow him to stay two extra years and graduate.

After attending business school at Yale, Charles and Virginia were married and moved to Los Angeles, CA.

Charles immediately joined the Air Force, instead of waiting to be drafted. He was assigned to Bruning Army Airfield in Bruning, Nebraska, leaving his new bride behind. He was assigned to do clerical duties, and after his shifts he took on odd jobs to earn money and managed to send $50 a month home to Virginia. He was reassigned to the Walla Walla Army Air Field in Washington. Toward the end of the war in 1944, he came home to Los Angeles to start a new life and a family.

As a young man he worked as an account executive in several advertising agencies, eventually starting his own advertising business, Charles Mottl and Company, in West Los Angeles.

Charles and Virginia had four children and the family especially enjoyed vacations to Mammoth, and then Newport Beach where they enjoyed sailing.

Charles was always working on "projects" and making plans for more. He was a visionary who liked to dream up ideas and then carefully organize and execute a project with the utmost attention to detail. If a project involved others, Charles would take on the role of 'manager', something he really seemed to enjoy.

After much encouragement from their son Lex, Charles and Virginia eventually left Los Angeles and moved to Orcas Island where they lived in a small room in Lex's cabin while building a house on the neighboring property. The house was a true work of art, bordering a lovely cove in the Puget Sound. Living this close to the ocean may have helped rekindle Charles' love of sailing, which he took on with gusto. His sailboat, which he named Ginny after his wife Virginia, and its crew, including his son John, won many races and Charles continued to go along to 'supervise' until he was 80 years young.

During his long retirement, Charles was passionate about art and painting. While visiting his son Tom and family in Taos, NM, he took painting lessons from well known artists and became a very accomplished artist himself, painting landscapes and still life, mostly in oils.

After moving to Anacortes in 2006, he continued to enjoy painting. He appreciated the art of fine cooking, and especially enjoyed traditional food and drink from his European homeland. In his later years he, with the help of his caregivers, liked to host traditional English High Tea at his home with all of the accoutrements.

At 100 years young, Charles continued to keep up with current events, reading the Wall Street Journal daily and attending church most Sundays. He was a member of the Anacortes United Methodist Church and hosted a weekly bible study at his home.

Charles is survived by his daughter Marianna, two sons, Henry (Tom) and John, and two grandchildren, Tucker and Trevor.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, Virginia, and his son, Charles Alexander (Lex).

A memorial service celebrating Charles' long life will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, May 19th, at the United Methodist Church in Anacortes.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Charles Mottl to the church.