Charles "Chuck" Dewitt, Sr.

Charles Martin DeWitt, Sr., 95, passed away on Friday, March 24th, 2017, in Clifton. The funeral and Celebration of Life will be held at First Baptist Church in Clifton on March 30, 2017 at 11:00 A.M. Family will be at the church at 10:00 for pre-service visits.

Chuck was born on April 9, 1921 on a farm near Eagle Creek, Oregon, to immigrant parents from Canada and England. As a child, he began his education in a one-room schoolhouse with 4 other students and a single teacher. Subsequently, Chuck attended different schools each year, eventually graduating Klamath Union High School, attending 6 months of diesel trade school in Los Angeles and 2 years of junior college in Sacramento.

Chuck served during World War II for three and a half years, two of which were spent aboard a Coast Guard cutter searching the North Pacific Ocean for enemy submarines. In his professional career, he worked for 16 years as a locomotive fireman and engineer operating both steam and diesel engines on common carrier railroads. He then spent 27 years with the Federal Interstate Commerce Commission and Federal Railroad Administration.

He called many regions of the country home, with significant time spent on his father’s farm in Southern Oregon, at home in San Antonio, in his cabin in Bandera, TX, and at his final home in Clifton. He was an active and dedicated member of First Baptist Church in Clifton, a member of the Lion’s Club, and a dedicated attendee of Airstream trailer rallies across the country.
Preceding him in death were his parents, Burley and Sarah; brothers and sisters, Jessie , Sterling, Ira, and Archie, his first wife, Ruth Naomi Mulcahy; and his second wife, Maradelle Langseth Helton.

Survivors include his son, Charles DeWitt, Jr. and his wife Kielian; daughter, Penny Pitamber and her husband Suresh; step-son, Larry Helton and his wife Karen; step-daughter, Linda Wright, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be sent to First Baptist Church.

The family would like to thank Chuck’s many friends for their kindness and support over the years. In Particular, Jim and Candy Nance, Mary Orbeck, Fred Stone, John Bruington and Isabelle Enriquez and her family. Particular thanks and appreciation is given to Rose, Skip and Zane Barnett. Rose cared for Chuck and Maradelle for years with loving devotion. Thanks also go to Chuck's many other caregivers as well as hospice for their dedication and support.

Condolences may be made at www.cliftonfh.com.