Obituary of Charles William Brown

Charles William Brown

1930-2023

Charles (Chuck, Charlie) William Brown, husband of the late Shirley Brown, passed away on April 2, 2023 at Luther Care Home in Saskatoon at the age of 92.

Chuck was born in Kamsack, Saskatchewan on July 9, 1930 to George and Mary Brown (nee Hume).  He attended school in Kamsack and his mother worked very hard to keep him interested in his academics. However, she lost that battle to the Canadian National Railroad. Chuck tried to enlist in the military but was denied due to his age, so he joined the railroad instead. 

Chuck’s early years of railroading took him north to the Bay Line. He worked the line from The Pas to Churchill; coming home with amazing stories of roaming polar bears and caribou migrations that would stop the train for half a day.  He had his baby sister convinced he knew Santa on a first name basis.

On one of his trips home Chuck met the love of his life, Shirley. They were married September 24th 1950. From this day on they would continue every adventure together as they were inseparable.

Chuck and Shirley were blessed with two children, Warren and Carla. Soon after they made the purchase of a new Mobile Home, which was quite a novelty at the time. A few years later they moved to Melville with their mobile home and then to Regina for a year so Shirley could continue her teaching studies. Upon returning to Melville Chuck was quite tired of mobile home living so he purchased the Waldron Hotel. The Waldron Hotel was conveniently on his work line, so he could serve a beer or two then walk down the street to catch the train to work. They had great fun in Waldron - bought the kids horses to train and learned to curl. Their next move was to Saskatoon.  

In 1969 Chuck tackled his largest life challenge. He had been dealing with his alcohol addiction for many years and knew if he was going to beat the addiction he would need some help.  With the guidance of the AA program and friends he met along the way, Chuck remained sober for 54 years and was always proud of his accomplishment. As Chuck worked his way through the 12 steps to alcohol recovery he had an AA family of mentors and newly recovering friends to accompany him. Chuck and Shirley’s door was always open for talking, mentoring, playing cards and laughing. Outside of the house, they would go off to roundups, meetings, celebrations of achievements, as well as fishing and camping trips. AA provided a way of life and bonds that lasted a lifetime. 

On one of the many commutes from Saskatoon to Bigger, Chuck spotted a 25 acre farm outside of Asquith. Being that it was on his work line and had an AA group in town, he decided to make the purchase. He now became a farmer- railroader.  In no time flat they had acquired 25 head of cattle, 2 pigs, 100 chickens, 4 ducks, 2 geese, a goat and a lamb. Every single one of these animals had a name that perfectly matched their personality. Once their “Old McDonald” family became too large to manage they moved to Kamloops to start their road to retirement. Chuck’s final job was a conductor on a passenger train from Kamloops to Jasper. 

This time he didn’t find a venture on his rail route but did find an abandoned four cabin fishing camp on Dunn Lake. They work very hard getting the cabins livable and the property inviting thinking this would be their retirement. Chuck retired 1985 and they took their 1st trip down the Baja to Cabo San Lucas.  They were hooked. They sold the lake resort and spent the next 30 yrs traveling down the Baja, Mexico every winter. 

They fell in love with Cabos San Lucas where they spent their winters, returning to Kamloops to their wonderful home and yard for the summers. Chuck spent most mornings fishing in the Paloma Blanca, with hopes of bringing home dorado. He had a love for the sea, fishing, and made wonderful memories with friends and family experiencing it alongside him. 

After Shirley passed away in 2017, Chuck moved to Saskatoon to be closer to family. He quickly attained the title of “The Baby Whisperer” as he was surrounded by 9 of his great-grandchildren that all lived nearby, and could often be seen rocking a baby - one hand holding a foot, the other patting their backside. 

We miss him already. We will ensure he lives on in our memories and will forever note his infamous one liners! 

Chuck is survived by his children, Warren ( Annette) Brown, Jasper AB, Carla (Brian) Blampin, Big River, SK; 6 grandchildren, Megan (Jason) St.Amant, their children Hudson, Asher, and Karley, Saskatoon, SK, Roan (Kyra) Blampin their children Charlie, Bodhi, and Kobe, Saskatoon, SK, Dustin (Bonnie) Brown, Peachland, B.C. Scott (Marina) Brown, their children Claire, and Sadie, Abbotsford,  B.C, Bailey (Chad) Fischl, their children Marius, Henrik, and Onni, Saskatoon SK, and Bobby Brown, Jasper AB.; sister, Pat (Al) Munholland, Salmon Arm B.C, as well as numerous nieces, and nephews.