Merle Hanson

Chuck was a truly great man and a very dear friend.  I have so many things to say about Chuck and I welcome this means of communication to pass on to his family my thoughts and condolences.  Our relationship goes back to our early days in the Litchfield school system.  Chuck's accomplishments on the field of sports were far superior to mine, but he always made me feel that I could become an Olympic athlete.  I never even came close.  I recall once after a basketball game, while dressing after a shower, how Chuck mentioned to me that I was dressed neat and that I probably had a date for the school dance.  I was well aware that Chuck and Harriet were an "item", but trying to display a little high school smart guy attitude, I told Chuck that I didn't have a date but I was going to ask Harriet out.  His response was not "don't ask her, she's my girlfriend" or anything like that but he said to me, "she's a nice girl, you'll like her".  Chuck was always the best.  I'm confident Harriet was waiting for him at the dance.

 

Some years later when I was discharged from the Army, after the Korean war, and returning to Litchfield in search for a job, Chuck called me and said he had heard I was looking for a job.  He had employment with a plumber and planned to leave for another job and offered to put in a word for me with the plumber so I might get his job.  He did and I got the job.  A true example of how he would seek out ways to help others.

 

Many years later upon my retirement from the Army, we were living in San Diego.  Chuck and I had the good fortune of spending many days together.  He would come out from Minnesota to visit with his son, Joe, and family and we would attend golf tournaments and spend hour after hour reliving our youth and the good days spent in Litchfield.   One afternoon he mentioned that he had a friend coming to San Diego from the St. Cloud college for a conference and asked if Shirley and I would like to go to dinner with them.  We accepted and after dinner went to a club for dancing.  We were envious of how they floated on the dance floor, and after leaving his friend at her motel, we mentioned how well they danced together and was there a chance the relationship would develop into something.  Chuck's response was, no the lady was just a friend and there would only be one true love in his life and that it would forever be Harriet.

 

The last several years as we returned to Litchfield each summer, Chuck and I would make arrangements to meet in Litchfield for a round of golf.  We never kept score and jokingly accused each other of cheating on every hole.  Pure enjoyment with a good friend.  The Litchfield golf course won't be the same without Chuck.

 

I'll not say goodbye to Chuck as he will be with me in spirit forever.