Charles “Charlie” Ray Church of Aberdeen, Washington passed away on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Dad was born on June 6, 1955 to Delbert and Nina Church in Raymond, Washington where he grew up and attended school.
He worked for ITT Rayonier for many years and after their big strike went to work truck driving. He found the job he loved most at Hagara Trucking Co. where he got to drive the dump truck of his dreams.
On June 15, 1973 Dad married his soul mate and love of his life, Karen Sue (Madison). Mom and Dad had 28 wonderful years together until her untimely death in 2001 from breast cancer.
Dad had a really unique gift for humor and loved to make everyone laugh and smile with a joke or his uncanny wit. He also had the musical knowledge of a rockstar and knew a song within the first strum of a guitar or beat of a drum. He would sing along, and flash a big smile.
The lottery will surely see a sharp decline in sales of scratch tickets, as he liked to frequent 7-11 for scratchies, a pepperoni stick and a nice cold bottle of Coke.
He loved our family trips to Reno, good music, Bill’s XL donuts, camping, hunting season, mom’s clam fritters and potato salad, Bonanza, his little vintage motorcycle and storage units, always chasing down those elusive doubloons surely to be inside.
Dad really did have a heart of gold and anyone who knew him knew that as fact. Mom’s death tore him apart, but his 5 girls have some peace knowing Dad is now reunited with Mom, once again embracing each other, laughing and loving again and probably making fun of us, too.
That’s a Church thing!
Dad is survived by daughters Heather Madison of Aberdeen, Angela Cherry of Yelm, April Wells of Roy, Sharley Salas of Yelm and Tiffany Valentine of Yakima; grandkids Brandon, Bryttanie, Darrin, Kaleigh, Zachary, Chloe, Timothy and Madison; brother John, sister Lawanna and numerous extended family. He was preceded in death by his wife Karen, mother Nina, father Delbert and brother Tom.
A Go Fund Me (https://gofund.me/92ad2d50) has been set up to help with the funeral expenses and to bringing dad home. A graveside service will be held at Sunset Memorial Park in the near future.
