Charles D. Blackburn, 67, passed away on Sunday, April 25, 2004 at Whidbey General Hospital following a courageous battle with cancer. Chuck was surrounded by loving family when he passed.

Born on Sept. 2, 1937 in Cleveland, Ohio to Thelma and “Blackie” Blackburn, he lived his early years in the Cleveland area with his brother, Bill, and later, stepfather Lou Boehme and sister Lyn.

Chuck enlisted in the Navy in 1955 and became a diesel mechanic and served several reenlistments through 1965 when he was honorably discharged. During his time of service, Chuck served in the Pacific mostly between the Korean and Vietnam Wars in a tumultuous period of unrest and high alert. He was actively encouraged by ranking officers to pursue higher commissions, but decided to stay in the engine rooms of the great and sometimes humble ships that were his home for so many years. Chuck received numerous medals of good conduct, received Sailor of the Year awards, studied mechanics and engineering and learned skills in refrigeration air conditioning and plank operations.

On one of Chuck’s many West Coast stops, he toured the Puget Sound and the Gulf Islands and decided on the deck of the ship that this was the place he would spend the rest of his life.

When he met Gail Sherrin Prevost in Long Beach, Calif in early 1961, he fell in love at first sight and relentlessly pursued her until she agreed to marry him. It was an added bonus that she was a Canadian from Vancouver, B.C. and spent many of her summers on Whidbey Island.

Chuck relocated his family to Seattle in 1996 after the birth of his three sons, Donald, David and Douglas. The Blackburns later moved to Langley to a home on Goss Lake.

For 30 years, the Blackburn home was a nucleus of love and support for their sons and for the many other friends and foster children whose lives were touched by Chuck and his family, known to South Whidbey as “The Busy B’s.”

Chuck was involved in scouting throughout his sons’ early years, later becoming Scoutmaster of Troop 57, but mostly becoming a driving force in the local troops’ success. Chuck directly influenced the lives of many young men in Scouts and was a trusted counselor and advisor to hundreds of local young men and women.

Upon settling in Seattle, Chuck held a series of short-term jobs, settling at Harborview Medical Center in 1968 when it was still a county hospital. Chuck spent 25 years in the maintenance and engineering department there, eventually becoming the director of the department he loved so much. Whether it was dealing with a crisis at a moment’s notice or a major regional catastrophe like the explosion of Mount St. Helens, Chuck’s calm and ability to mobilize resources in a crisis made him an exceptional leader and manager.

Chuck offered career opportunities to many young men and women who have gone on to become successful leaders in their own right.

Chuck retired from Harborview in 1993 to embark on a new career as the “Mr. Fixit,” fixing gadgets, machinery, “thingy majigs” and individuals. Upon his departure, staff presented him with an official list of “Chuckisms” long remembered as “Chuckie lore,” not the least of which was a favorite “Everything going to hell in a handbasket” or “Up to my eyebrows in alligators.”

Chuck and Gail sold their lake house in 2000 and relocated to their dream home in Oak Harbor. Chuck was a devoted son, husband, father, brother, grandfather, worker, fisherman, Scout leader and friend who will be remembered by the many whose lives he touched.

Chuck Blackburn is survived by his wife Gail, sons Donald and his wife, Shelley and Douglas, all of Whidbey Island; sister Lyn Berry and family of Ohio; sisters- in- law Alana Prevost of Oak Harbor and Darlene Prevost and her family of Seattle and Whidbey Island; grandchildren. Katy Remmington of Lynnwood, Christopher Blackburn of New Zealand, Aleesha Miller of Langley, Shea Coe of Freeland and numerous extended family in the United States and Canada, including foster children Leese Johnson and Lesley McConnell.

Chuck was preceded in death by his son, David, in 1995.

Chuck always said his rewards were through the help and success he gave to others, and that those people had a responsibility to pass those good deeds on.

Memorials may be sent to Whidbey Island Bank in Chuck Blackburn’s name in care of Troop 57, Boy Scouts of America.