Charles Allen Prince

Charles Allen Prince “Charlie”, born March 25th 1943 to Theodore “Ted” and Eleanor Prince-Van Ess (Eenigenburg) passed peacefully with his children at his side on February 24 in Bellingham, WA. He was born in Muskegon, Michigan, and raised in Grand Rapids, the eldest of three children, Julie (Jim Bockheim) and Doug (Bette). Charlie had a quiet and strong faith in Christ that was core to his belief and attended church regularly. As a young married man at Church of the Open Door in downtown Los Angeles, he led a Sunday school class. He also volunteered his drywall skills for the church building project when the family started attending Calvary Chapel in Downey, California.

He met Mary Prince-Chenoweth (Baron) on a blind date in ‘68 while visiting Grand Rapids, Michigan, and they soon struck up romantic correspondence, writing back and forth from Grand Rapids to Los Angeles. Mary moved to Los Angeles, and they married in 1969 and raised three children over their 25 years of marriage, Jason (Lynn), Marea (Robb), and Theo (Megan). 

Charlie relocated to Los Angeles, California sometime shortly after high school and there he started a career as a firefighter for the City of Lynnwood Fire Department where he worked for 13 years. His next career endeavor was starting his own drywall and stucco business, Prince Bros. Drywall. It was during these years that he met Frank “Dennis” Williams who became a brother to him and an uncle to his children. For final employment in his later years, Charlie turned to trucking, driving semis long-distance and locally. His trucker handle was “007” as he liked to think he closely resembled Sean Connery. 

The 1980’s were a tough time for Charlie after the death of his brother in the late 70s; he struggled with depression for many years, eventually divorcing in 1994. Despite this, he was a patient, persistent, and present father for many years, being involved in the kids’ sports’ teams through coaching, plus support of many other clubs and activities. He loved bicycling, going to Dodgers’ games, Cribbage, garage sales, horseshoes, books and talk radio. He stayed active in many ways, such as riding his Honda motorcycle, officiating soccer, softball, and volleyball games, and going on long bicycle trips, once riding from L.A. to Grand Rapids. 

Charlie met Cheryl Kelley in the mid-90’s and eventually settled with her in Gardnerville, Nevada, surrounded by the beautiful mountains near Lake Tahoe. They built a home on property where they lived out their days, with Cheryl attending to animals and Charlie playing horseshoes. He was an avid cyclist and lover of nature into his old age, regularly riding his recumbent bicycle in the Sierra Nevada mountain valleys and hiking the many trails in the area.

After Charlie began his decline due to dementia, his kids were able to move him in 2022 to live out his final days at Silverado Memory Care facility in Bellingham, Washington, near Marea, Theo, and his former wife Mary. These last days were healing in many ways for his family.

He is preceded in death by his partner Cheryl, his brother Doug, and his son Jason. He will be missed for his sense of humor, quick wit, and clever one-liners. He will be laid to rest at Rosedale Memorial Park, near his childhood home in Michigan.