Charles Edwin Painter

( April 11, 1931 - October 16, 2019 )

Charles Edwin Painter, was born on April 11, 1931 and passed away on October 16, 2019.

Our most precious and beloved father, grandfather, and friend lived an amazing and exciting life here on Earth, and now has a wonderful and amazing eternity with his precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

He is survived by his daughters, June Kern (Mike), Karen Berger (Curtis), and son, Eric Painter (Kelly), grandchildren, William Leonard, Charlie Leonard, Mikey Kern, Adriel A. Berger, Cassia S. Berger and Sherah N. Berger, and nieces, Michele Check, Carol Jones, Vera Rizer, Valerie Baier, and nephew, Edward Rizer.

He was preceded to Our Lord Jesus Christ by his father, Charles Edwin Moul, mother, Grace Painter, wife, Lela Painter, son, Roy Painter, grandson, Jamin DelRay Berger, sisters, Della Grace Grimes and Lilian McDonald, and brothers, Robert McDonald and
Jimmy McDonald.

Our Dad was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. His mother Grace was widowed at 21 years of age with three children. She then married John Painter and had another girl, Della. Not long after Della was born, John Painter abandoned the family and never returned. Charles' mother wanted to divorce John Painter but because she could not find him she was unable to. She met Charles Moul and they fell in love. Our Dad was born on April 11, 1931. His mother passed away when he was about five. A few years later his father married a woman who very soon after had our father put into an orphanage called Home for the Friendless. From there he went to the Kay House. He turned seventeen on a Sunday in 1948, and that Monday, he joined the US Airforce. After boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, he trained at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois to become a weather observer and later again trained at Chanute Air Force Base to become a rawinsonde operator. He was stationed for awhile at Goose Bay Labrador US Air Base in Newfoundland Province of Canada. After returning to the States, he was stationed at Otis Air Force Base in Cape Code, Massachusetts. He then transferred to Selfridge Field Air National Guard Base near Detroit, Michigan, and that is how our Dad met our sweet Mom around June of 1953, and three months later they married on September 5, 1953, and a few months after the Korean War ended he took advantage of an available early discharge from the Air Force in 1954, after serving a total of six years. After trying to sell Fuller Brushes, Kirby Vacuums, and shoe repair kits, our Mom knew he wasn't cut out to be a shoe repair salesman when she overheard him practicing his sales pitch on our Aunt Wilma and he asked her if she had a "shoe in her hole", instead of a "hole in her shoe". It was at that time he decided to take an aptitude test and he scored high in mechanical drafting. A gentleman by the name of Harry Murray with Murray Engineering in Detroit called the facility that conducted the aptitude tests and asked them if they had any candidates take the test that scored high in mechanical drafting, and they gave them Dad's name, and the rest is history! God led Dad into the mechanical drafting field and from there into electro-mechanical engineering. God always had His hand on our Dad's life. Daddy worked full-time and attended night school to get his degree in drafting. Aerojet in Sacramento, California, were recruiting mechanical drafters and he applied and got hired. They moved our Dad and Mom and my sister and I out to Sacramento in 1958, the year I was born. A few years later our brothers were born. Over the years we moved quite a few times. If jobs were tight in California then we'd move back to Michigan and Daddy would work at one of the big three automakers there. Then when things got better in California, we would move back. Daddy worked at various engineering companies in the Bay Area, ending up working at Lockheed Missiles and Space in Sunnyvale, California, where he retired from in 1994. While there, Daddy worked on amazing projects. He went down into missile silos, and for awhile he worked in what is called the Black Hole. He was not allowed to discuss what he worked on, to anyone, but I am sure it was very interesting.

While in Sacramento, Daddy also owned a septic tank service company, called Chuck's Septic Tank Service. His ad was "Your Business is our Business". He also was a songwriter, and had a contract with Jimmy Dean, and had the interest of many other Country and Western artists, and was a member of ASCAP.

Daddy also earned degrees in Engineering, and a degree in Business from the University of San Francisco, and he also studied law. However, his greatest ambition and accomplishment was providing for and protecting his family, whom he loves greatly and is greatly loved more than words can say!

Our Dad was fierce! He went through hell to get to heaven. We miss him tremendously, but we know we will see him again soon. Our time here is so brief when compared to eternity with our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and all our wonderful treasures in Heaven!

We'll see you soon Papa, and save us a seat at the table!