Charles Anderson

Charles Anderson, also known as Chuck, Dad or Papa, loved to tell stories, so it is with great love that we tell his story.  Chuck was born in Seattle, and he grew up in the nearby community of Ballard, WA.  His mother was Swedish, and his father was Danish.  They lived in the house that his grandmother had purchased in Ballard at the end of her long immigration journey. Chuck’s grandmother left Sweden, passed through Ellis Island, traveled by train to the Ryssby church community near Boulder Colorado, married a miner in Leadville Colorado, then moved to a peach orchard in Cedaredge, Colorado and then to a hay farm in Emmett, Idaho, which she sold to buy the house in Ballard.

Chuck and this two older siblings, John and Anne Marie, grew up in a multi-generational home, and their cousins lived across the street. As kids, they loved going to the Ballard Locks and Golden Gardens. Chuck’s favorite view was of Mount Rainier. Early on, Chuck showed a talent for engineering, including working with his brother John to make their own wetsuits for exploring the cold waters of Puget Sound. Although Chuck admitted that he was never great at swimming. For his college swimming test, Chuck held his breath and swam the full length of the pool.

Chuck’s strong work ethic started young. His father was a World War I Army veteran who was wounded in battle and later had a stroke when Chuck was 9 years old.  Chuck’s mom went to work as a bookkeeper for Standard Oil, and all the kids helped contribute to the household. Chuck started with a paper route, and when he was old enough, he went to work for his brother-in-law doing construction work for $1 per hour.  During the summer Chuck would work 60-hour weeks to help the family and to save for college.

Chuck attended the University of Washington in Seattle. At that time the application process involved showing up on the first day of school and signing up at a card table.  When Chuck showed the admissions person his high school transcript and said that he wanted to study Civil Engineering, the admissions person said, “We have a live one!”. Chuck would drive his mom’s 1952 Ford to the university every day and park in the lot near Husky stadium.  Parking cost $0.25 per day.  Chuck would lug his briefcase full of books up the long staircase from the parking lot to campus.  He said that the walk back to the car down the stairs at the end of the day was much more enjoyable. Chuck loved to study in the beautiful library on campus in what is now known as the Harry Potter Reading Room. He sat at the same wooden desk every day to study. To pay for college, Chuck spent his summers working for a fish cannery in Alaska.  The cannery provided food, lodging and a boat ride at the beginning of and end of the summer.  There was no other way to reach the cannery. One year, the date that the boat was leaving conflicted with the third day of Chuck’s thermodynamics final.  When Chuck asked to take the final early, the professor said, “See you next year”, so Chuck had to take his thermodynamics class again the following year.

A particularly fond memory that Chuck would share from his youth was a road trip to California with his brother John.  They drove a sporty 1950’s Chevrolet Corvette C1, the first Corvette model. It was a beautiful white convertible with red interior, a black soft-top and white rimmed tires.  Chuck wondered what that car would be worth today if his brother had kept it.

Taking a quick aside for another car story, Chuck had a 1970’s VW station wagon.  When it needed a new paint job, Chuck bought cans of spray paint and meticulously painted the entire car blue.  There wasn’t a streak or a drip of paint. The “blue car” as the family called it was a testament to Chuck’s patience and attention to detail.

After college, Chuck joined the Air Force Officer program.  Chuck said that he joined the Air Force to see the world, but he got transferred to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Chuck worked on the Missile Program inspecting missile silos.  Being stationed in Cheyenne turned out alright.  Chuck’s commanding officer had a radiant secretary, Suzanne (Sue), who caught Chuck’s eye and won his heart. Chuck and Sue were soon married. Chuck looked handsome in his dark tuxedo, and Sue wore a lovely tea length lavender-colored dress as was the fashion of the times. They honeymooned in Hawaii.

The early part of their marriage was spent living in military base housing in Kimball, Nebraska.  Then Chuck was transferred to the base in Great Falls, Montana where they welcomed their first son Jeffery. When Chuck finished his service with the Air Force, he got a job at the United States Bureau of Reclamation, and the family moved to Denver, Colorado.  They bought a house and moved in a few weeks before their middle son Michael was born. A few years later, Timothy completed their family.

Chuck dedicated his professional career to structural design for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.  When his son Tim was in 3rd grade, the teacher called home because Tim wrote a paper about his dad being a “dam engineer.” Sue assured the teacher that Chuck was indeed a dam engineer, and a lifetime of jokes followed.  One of the highlights of Chuck’s career was designing the third power plant at Grand Coulee Dam.  Chuck wrote one of the first structural analysis computer programs used by the Bureau of Reclamation. Chuck’s work was so highly regarded that he was invited to join an international engineering delegation working on the Three Gorges Dam in China.  Chuck traveled to China twice for the project and helped design the boat lift. Chuck rounded out his career ensuring seismic safety of federal structures.

Throughout his career, Chuck shared his enthusiasm for his work by including stops at major dams during their summer family road trips.  On their visit to Grand Coulee Dam, the guide paused often to let Chuck share his stories about the dam. Their road trips alternated years between visiting Chuck’s family in Seattle and visiting other destinations like Disneyland, Disney World and Civil War sites. After retiring, Chuck and Suzanne continued to travel.  They enjoyed cruises to Alaska, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, and through the Panama Canal. There were also regular trips to California to visit son Mike and his family.  Trips to Seattle also continued, often accompanied by their sons and grandchildren.  The entire family celebrated Chuck and Sue’s 50th anniversary with a trip to Disney World.

One of Chuck’s true joys was being a grandfather.  Chuck and Sue loved being “Grammy and Papa”.  Grammy and Papa helped take care of their granddaughter Taylor on a regular basis and loved attending her activities. They were so proud that Taylor recently graduated from college with a master’s degree. Grammy and Papa visited their other grandchildren Mari and Emily as often as they could. They tried to time their visits to see the kid’s activities such as Mari’s concerts and Emily’s dance performances. Papa loved playing video games with the grandchildren, especially Zelda.

Reflecting on their 58 years of marriage, Chuck recently said “Sue took care of me for the first 48 years, and I took care of her for the past 10 years.” Chuck was a loving and dedicated caretaker.  Although it was challenging, Chuck enjoyed their routine.  Whenever possible, Chuck and Sue would take walks around the block arm in arm.  They would often wear their matching green jackets that they got on a cruise. They both enjoyed watching the local wildlife that Chuck would feed, including the squirrel “Momma One Ear”, BunBun, and a pair of ducks who bring their new chicks every spring.  Chuck loved to work in the yard. He also enjoyed listening to classical music. Chuck converted a spare bedroom into his puzzle room.  Being an engineer, Chuck rigged up his own puzzle table and jigsaw puzzle piece sorting system.  Sue would sit in her cozy chair and watch Chuck work on his puzzles.  Their deep love for each other was evident.

During the pandemic, Chuck let his hair and beard grow.  Chuck looked like a dignified Swedish gentleman or Papa Noel.  He was a kind and brilliant man who was loved by so many. So, Chuck/Dad/Papa, we wrap up your story with your favorite Swedish prayer, “Tusen tack”, a thousand thanks!