Chuck died May 13, 2009, in Coalsdale, Arkansas. He was a retired Lt. Colonel in the USAF and flew transports and gunships in Vietnam. Chuck was introduced to smokejumping while he worked lookout towers in the Selway N.F. during the summers of 1949 and 1950. He rookied in 1951 at Missoula. Chuck broke his ankle in 1952 hitting a snag in Yellowstone. He finished the season as an aerial spotter and did the same job in 1953.