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Charles Upshaw Obituary
June 20, 1935 - January 2, 2024
Steilacoom, Washington - Colonel Charles Roland Upshaw, USMC, age 88, of Steilacoom, WA, died on January 2, 2024.
He was born in Magdalena, New Mexico to Thelma L. Reynolds and Charles R. Upshaw. Charles was a Navy Corpsman during the Korean War, a police officer in Blythe, California, and then he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Following three tours in Vietnam, Charles was awarded the Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Charles earned a B.A. in history and a master's degree in financial administration from The George Washington University. After his retirement from the Marine Corps, he worked as a financial administrator at several small, liberal arts colleges. He was delighted to spend his final years living in Steilacoom, WA with its beautiful overlook of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.
His family and friends will remember Charles as a devoted Corgi owner and an avid pilot. He is survived by his wife of 58 years Margaret Sayers Upshaw, his daughter Jane Jessen, his son Chad Upshaw, his brother David Barcala and his sisters: Del Johnson, Katherine Reed, and Edna Dunlap. The family will hold private services in Santa Fe, NM in the summer.
Contributions in memory of Charles could be made to Doctors Without Borders, The Humane Society, or The Carter Center.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Charles Upshaw
3 Entries
Jone Borhek
January 8, 2025
Enjoyed having this wonderful man and his family and dogs as neighbors, he is missed
Beverly P Isenson
January 16, 2024
Charles Upshaw made Steilacoom a nicer town in which to live, bringing intelligence, knowledge, thoughtfulness and 'neighborliness' in the best sense to Steilacoom.
Jone Borhek
January 15, 2024
So very sorry we have lost a wonderful neighbor, my prayers are with the family. I am so glad to have known Charles and Margaret these many years in Steilacoom
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