The last family owned funeral home in Thurston County.

Affectionately known as “Charlie,” he celebrated his 90th birthday in February and passed away peacefully at Providence St. Peter Hospital after a short hospital stay for heart failure and pneumonia. 

 

Charlie was born to Alta Vivian Weld and Kenneth Hughes in 1933 in Mercer PA. Alta remarried Zbigniew Wilk after the death of Kenneth, and Charles Sr. adopted the Wilk family name.

Charlie grew up on his uncle’s farm in Pennsylvania and enjoyed his childhood around animals and nature.  As a teenager, Charlie moved with his family to Japan for several years after WW2 and graduated from Osaka Army High School. While there, he befriended Frances “Joanne” Voligny, the love of his life whom he later married in December 1958.

After returning to the United States, Charlie enlisted in the army, serving as a company clerk and typist before he was honorably discharged. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree from college in Tacoma and eventually found work at McChord Air Force Base.  He had a long and successful career as a civil servant in the military, working his way up to a head contracting officer position.  

Charlie and his wife Joanne designed and built one of the first residential homes on Long Lake in Lacey, WA. Charlie enjoyed life on the lake to the fullest; fishing, swimming, boating and waterskiing were among some of his favorite activities. He also loved barbecuing and volleyball with his neighbors and relatives, and he was not one to turn down a drink or two when the libations were at hand.

Charlie was also an avid tennis player and ping pong enthusiast, competing and winning awards in local tournaments. He loved to work on cars and fix up old boat motors. He enjoyed playing pinball so much that he eventually began collecting and restoring vintage pinball machines.

Throughout his life, Charlie demonstrated a tenacity towards fixing problems. He was always ready and willing to help others and went to great lengths to do so at times.

It should be noted that Charlie loved his mother Alta very much and would often visit her to have lunch as his work at McChord was close to her residences. Charlie also greatly admired his charismatic older brother Kenneth and adored his sisters Jean and Dolores.

Charlie is survived by his two sons, Charles Jr and Ben and their wives Madeline and Veronique, six grandchildren, and his loving and devoted sister Jean Finch and her family.

Charlie’s ashes will be interred at Woodlawn Funeral Home & Cemetery, along with his wife Joanne, who passed away in October 2019.