Charles E. Waters, 80, passed away Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, with his family by his side.
He was born June 14, 1939, to Harley and Mary Waters, in Mayfield, Ky. He was destined to be a soldier since he was born on Flag Day and the Army’s birthday.
He served honorably in the U.S. Army from July 1958 to April 1985. Charles, or Chuck as he was normally called, served at Fort Polk, La.; Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Fort Devens, Mass.; three tours in Germany; Vietnam; and as an adviser to the Idaho National Guard.
Charles married his high school sweetheart, Geraldine “Geri” Bivin, in April 1959, and together they were blessed with five children, Greg, Mike, Glenn, Debbie and Denise. Life was interesting as the children grew, and the family moved about every three years. Evidently, they were meant to be a band of gypsies, as that is what they looked like as they traveled. One thing for sure, they always looked forward to a new adventure. Once they moved to the Northwest, that was it; it was home.
Charles’ career in the Army was very interesting. He was a combat engineer. He was involved in atomic demolition munitions (ADM) for 12 years. After attaining the rank of sergeant first class in 1966, he left the ADM Company to return to a regular combat engineer unit. He served as first sergeant for several units until being assigned to the Sergeants Major Academy in El Paso, Texas. Upon graduation from the academy, he was assigned as an adviser to the Idaho Army National Guard. While there, he was instrumental in establishing the Idaho Military Academy. He was promoted to sergeant major in April 1978. He remained in that assignment until retirement in 1985.
After retirement from the Army, Chuck returned to school to attain a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He then bought a lube/repair business in Orofino. He enjoyed that for seven years and then taught electronics classes at Lewis-Clark State College. When he decided to finally fully retire, so did Geri, and they spent the next eight years traveling cross country. Attending a reunion every year for a group of military retirees became the highlight of the year. It was such great fun to meet with friends and enjoy the sights of a different city every year.
With five athletic children, Chuck was always involved with the sports they were in, including football, basketball, baseball and softball, either as a coach or spectator. They didn’t have a calendar in the home, they strictly went from sport to sport. At one point, Chuck played in two softball leagues; Greg, Mike and Glenn played baseball, football and basketball; and Debbie and Denise played softball and were cheerleaders. When in the States, the excursions also included camping and fishing trips in the summer. Needless to say, there was never a dull moment in the home.
Chuck even bought a bass boat so he and the boys could go camping and fishing, but soon discovered the little boat was powerful enough to pull someone water skiing. This made it even exciting for the girls. Camping trips were fun, but always contained an element of surprise. There are numerous stories that the family laughed about for years about camping fiascos, from the loss of anchors, fishing rod, reels and tackle boxes and even the sinking of a boat. Even with all the disasters they encountered, they didn’t stop camping.
Charles was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. His greatest joy was visiting his children and watching them become parents. As each of the children married and had children of their own, they finally decided that holidays at Grandpa and Grandma’s had to stop so they could make their own traditions. The fun really began as the families house-hopped from the Tri-Cities to Boise.
In addition to his wife, Chuck is survived by his sons, Mike (Brenda) and Glenn (Ronda); daughters Debbie (Angus) Bampton and Denise Trepagnier; grandchildren Jennifer (Paul) Allen, Michael (Jessica) Waters, Jace Waters, Caitlin Bampton, Collin Bampton, Samantha (Cory) Barnes, Lindsay (Tom) Whipple, Bailey Trepagnier, Bryce Waters, Brian (Whitney) DeLawyer and Jenae (Ben) Kerfoot. He was preceded in death by his son, Greg; his parents, Harley and Mary Waters; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, if you would like to contribute anything, please donate to St. Jude Children’s Hospital; or the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
Per Charles’ request, there will be no formal funeral. There will be an open house visitation from 3-5 p.m. Jan. 3, 2020, at Summers Funeral Home, Ustick Chapel, 3629 E. Ustick Road, Meridian.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Charles’ memorial webpage at www.summersfuneral.com.
