"I will never forget my Uncle Chuck... his love, humor and laugh! May you be at peace as you join my Dad, Aunt Betty Grandma and Grandpa in heaven. May God bless the family. With much love, Linda Daugherty (Woods) "
Charles (Chuck) Woods passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at the age of 93. He was born on November 4th, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois to William and Clara Woods.
Chuck graduated from Chicago's Harper High in 1946 and received his Engineering/Mathematics degree at Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas, in 1951. While at Baker University he was a member of the 1949 Conference winning, Baker Wildcats football team. With the resumption of the draft in 1951, he joined the Army during the Korean War. He was assigned to the 5th Mash Unit as a Pharmacist, stationed in Heidelberg, Germany.
Upon returning home to Chicago in 1953, Chuck was hired at Western Electric as an Equipment Engineer. He attended Lincoln Laboratory at MIT for intensive training in computers, radars, and other equipment for the newly formed defense SAGE system.
In the late 1950's Western Electric and Bell laboratories joined with NORAD to form the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) an air defense control system. SAGE directed and controlled the NORAD response to potential Soviet air attacks. The processing power behind SAGE was supplied by the largest computer ever built at that time. Computers, telecommunications, and radars joined together to form an air-defense cover over the entire United States and Canada.
Shortly afterward he was transferred to the Systems Development Corporation (SDC), a division of the RAND Corporation, based in Santa Monica, California where he met and married his wife Margaret (Marge) Woods in October of 1962. Chuck was promoted to a management position in computer engineering with Western Electric in Newark, New Jersey. In 1967 Chuck and Marge were transferred due to Western Electric purchasing farmland outside the then small city of Phoenix, Arizona, population 750,000. It was to become the site of the largest copper cable producing plant in the United States. Chuck retired from Western Electric/AT&T technologies in 1989.
In 1993, he accepted a volunteer assignment with the International Executive Service Corps in Jakarta, Indonesia to support the increase of productivity within their troubled copper plant.
In 1995, Chuck and Marge fulfilled their longtime dream of sailing for six years on their beloved sailboat, Sea Shadow, throughout the waters of the United States and Mexico.
Chuck is preceded in death by his two siblings Betty Osburn and Earl Woods. Chuck leaves behind his wife Marge; son Bill (Hiedi) Woods; daughter Karen (Ken Willits) Gilchrist; two grandchildren, Kenneth and Thomas; plus two great grandchildren. His nieces and nephew, Bill, Nancy, Carol, Donna, and Linda held a special place in his heart.
As longtime members of the Casa family, a Celebration of Chuck's Life with a Mass will be held at the Franciscan Renewal Center on April 22, 2022 at 1:30pm, with reception to follow.
Franciscan Renewal Center: 5802 E. Lincoln Dr, Scottsdale, AZ 85253. Website - https://www.thecasa.org
In lieu of flowers please send a donation to Casa Franciscana Outreach at https://casafranciscanaoutreach.org
"I will never forget my Uncle Chuck... his love, humor and laugh! May you be at peace as you join my Dad, Aunt Betty Grandma and Grandpa in heaven. May God bless the family. With much love, Linda Daugherty (Woods) "
"A loss for all. A good friend and a fun person who enjoyed life. You will be missed. Larry & Donna Auster"