'A Life Well Lived, A Man Well Loved': Charlie Fitch Dies At 76

NATICK, MA — Charlie Fitch was born in Natick on July 18, 1940, to Anna Marie (Dixon) and Elmer Charles Fitch. Charlie, passed away quietly, surrounded by his loving family, Feb. 16, 2017 in Bellevue, WA.

He always said growing up in Natick was a great childhood; complete with skating on Dug Pond and the safety of a small New England town of that era, Boy Scouts, Ted Williams and the Red Sox. He graduated from Natick High School Class of 1958. Charlie played football; track & field and participated in the glee club and many other school clubs. He was voted Biggest Appetite and Class Clown by classmates who still love him today, having shared many reunions in the last 57 years. And, always stopping at Casey’s for the best hot dogs!

In 1959, Charlie and two of his best friends decided to take a road trip across the USA to see what they could see. They landed in Seattle and, except for a brief return to Natick, Charlie stayed – he found home. Ironically, three of his close childhood friends also Class of 58; Fred Walser, Jim Omerso and Tom McGrath and much of his family migrated West and they remained close until his death.

It was also in Seattle that Charlie met Suzanne (Susie) Koch on a blind date. It must have gone well because they were married in September, 1962. They proceeded to have four good kids who they raised to be four good adults; Margaret (Sam) Gibson, Anna Arney, Elizabeth (Mihail) Yanev and Mike (Karla) Fitch, three of whom gave him the seven beautiful grandchildren he so dearly loved: Thomas, Taylor and Mason, Sophia and Abigail and Joel and Bridger. He was also a proud Great-Grandfather to Nathan. As a father, he was always present, engaged and spent so much time with his wife and kids. He always said the best part of his day was coming home to his family and we all felt and appreciate that so much.

In addition to his wife, children and grandchildren, Charlie is survived by his sisters, Deborah (Lanny) Vanderhoek WA; Dorothy (Bill) LaCouture, Natick; sister-in-law Dorothy (brother, Donald deceased) Fitch and his brother Gary (Krys) Fitch as well as his cousins Natalie Sable and Mary Ward. He also leaves behind a plethora of in-laws, nieces, nephews and countless friends - Charlie never met a stranger. In the early 1960s he played semi-pro football for the Seattle Ramblers. Then, having worked for others since a young age and deciding that working for “The Man” wasn’t for him, Charlie opened his first gas station, American Oil Co., in Kirkland, WA in the mid-1960’s. In the early 1970s He moved across the street where he owned and operated Olympic View Service until he retired in 2001. He had a good reputation with his customers, suppliers and competitors and enjoyed long, involved associations with ASA, Kirkland Kiwanis and Kirkland Chamber of Commerce until his death. He was also an Eagle and Moose (we suspect for the bar privileges).

In the mid-1960s, Charlie took up mountain climbing and summited most of the major peaks in the Cascade Range until a knee injury ended his climbing days in the late 1970’s. He was an avid duck hunter, hiker and skier, taking his family camping, hiking, and skiing for many years. He was an avid reader and a life-long traveler (our family has 284,000 slides to prove it), taking his family on many hikes, campouts and trips throughout the US and Canada. Charlie liked the scenic route and took it whenever possible.

Charlie and Susie enjoyed traveling to either visit family and friends or participate in many trap shoots throughout the Western U.S. He loved all kinds of music from opera to gypsy jazz to country western and everything in between. He could build/make/fix anything and was a phenomenal cook (with the exception of the famous chicken, posole and pepper steak incidents) and generous host. Charlie was famous for his bbq salmon and people clamored for his clam chowder made from fresh dug clams from the Long Beach Peninsula (OK, Susie and Courtnay dug them while he supervised).

People also loved his Christmas Eve deep-fried turkey & jo-jo’s and his family (especially his grandchildren) loved his Sunday morning pancakes. Charlie loved to laugh and make people laugh. His storytelling was legendary (literally and figuratively). And, as he would have you know, he knew everything and was an excellent driver and supervisor.

A celebration of Charlie’s life (code for serious party) will take place on July 16, 2017, at Beaver Lake Park Lodge; 2600 244th Ave SE, Sammamish, WA 98075 from 1:30-4:30 pm. Please bring your best memories, photos, jokes, and good Charlie stories. By then, as he requested, his ashes will have been scattered in the three places he loved most: Othello, Mt. Rainier and the Long Beach Peninsula.

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