Obituary: Charles Werle

Charles (“Chuck”) R. Werle, APR, Fellow PRSA, a former Chicago journalist and public relations executive, died at age 81 on April 21 at his home in Asheville, North Carolina, where he had moved several years ago. While he had retired from his full-time PR career, he continued to work as a PR counselor and a writer, publishing two books, one on his favorite pastime of golfing and the other on fulfilling his lifelong “bucket list.”

Born and raised in Michigan, Werle earned a degree in journalism from Michigan State University. After serving in the Army, he pursued a career as a sports writer and editor at The Augusta Chronicle (Georgia), the La Porte Herald-Argus (Indiana) and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin), where he reported on such sports stars as Joe Garagiola, Ray Nitschke, Bart Starr, Ernie Banks and Dick Weber and covered sporting events, including the Indy 500 and the Augusta Masters Golf Tournament.

After his time as a sports writer, he began a long, rewarding career in public relations, starting at Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee. As a creative publicity event coordinator, he organized many unique events during those years, including the "World’s Greatest Chicken Plucking Contest" in Florida in the 1970s. Werle moved on to Chicago to work for J. Walter Thompson, then First Chicago Bank, where he produced an award-winning annual report. He later served as head of communications for Leo Burnett Worldwide in Chicago before starting his own public relations firm. The author of an executives’ guidebook on press relations that was distributed by Harvard University’s Business School, Werle was voted outstanding public relations executive by the Chicago Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, which he served as president, and was inducted into the PRSA National College of Fellows in 1992.

Werle was a loving father of sons Jeff, Mark and Dave, and a proud grandfather of four. He is survived by his former wife Kathy, his sons Jeff and Dave and his four grandchildren Madison, Destiny, Hannah and Joe.

A memorial service will honor Werle’s memory at 11 a.m., Monday, June 26, at Hinsdale United Methodist Church, 945 South Garfield, Hinsdale, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the church. Moore Funeral Home at Forest Lawn (NC) handled arrangements. Condolences may be sent through its website at www.moorefh.net.

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