Charles Albert Lynds was born on January 17, 1925, to Charles William Lynds and Hazel Mabel Smith Lynds. Charles, who later went by “Chuck”, spent the first 13 years of his life in San Jose, California, and lived on Park Street. His father was a painting contractor, and his mother, who before marriage had been a teacher, was a home maker. Chuck was an only child. Throughout his childhood, Chuck would take family trips to the Gold Rush town of Forbestown. This is where his paternal grandparents lived for many years, and where his father grew up. The family home still stands today and is owned by his cousin’s family.
When Chuck was 13, his father quit the painting business due to health issues associated with lead poisoning, and the family moved to a farm in Valley Home, California, which is near Oakdale. His father became a dairy farmer, which meant that Chuck had many chores as a young man. The family not only had cows, but also chickens, rabbits and sometimes, pigs. While attending Oakdale High School, WWII broke out, and one of his teachers suggested that he stay an extra year to avoid the draft. Chuck eventually did get drafted, however, and was in the army for two years. Fortunately, he never saw combat, but was stationed in the South at a Prisoner of War camp that housed Japanese POWs. When the war ended, he and other soldiers were tasked with returning the POWs to Japan on a ship. After landing in Japan, Chuck had some time to shop for silk kimonos, and ended up eating his lunch outside of the emperor’s palace. Upon returning to the United States, Chuck was taken to Beale Air Force Base outside of Yuba City, California. From there, a bus took him as far as Highway 99 and Manteca and dropped him off. Because his parents had no phone, he had to hike about 20 miles back to the family farm, in the middle of the night.
For a brief time, Chuck attended Modesto Junior College, where he became friends with Frank Sample. Frank set him up on a blind date with Marilyn Kessler. They quickly fell in love and got married in August of that year. (1947)
Chuck and Marilyn lived on the farm with his parents for a year or so, until Chuck could finish building a house at the edge of the family acreage. Chuck was smart and very hard working; if he didn’t know how to do something he would read about it. It seemed there was nothing he couldn’t do. During the time the couple lived in Valley Home, Chuck started working for Crocker Anglo Bank in Modesto, while Marilyn started working as an elementary school teacher near Valley Home. They soon decided to move to Modesto to be closer to Chuck’s work, and to start a family. Their son Chris was born in 1951 and Catherine, in 1952. In 1957, Chuck decided to build a family cabin on property in Forbestown that was given to him by his parents. The family had years of enjoyment from staying in the little rock cabin.
During this time, Marilyn stayed home with the children until both children were in school, and then went back to teaching. When the kids were 7 and 8, the family moved to another house, closer to Marilyn’s parents, so that they could walk to their grandparents’ home after school to wait for Marilyn to pick them up. During the time the family lived in this home, Chuck remodeled, had a swimming pool put in the backyard, and Marilyn attended Stanislaus State College to get her teaching certificate.
In 1962, Chuck was offered a job in Walnut Creek, so the family moved to Concord. Chuck was very busy with work, church activities, traveling to Forbestown to visit the cabin, and traveling to Modesto to visit family. After his parents gave him the family home on Park Street in San Jose, he bought two other homes on that block, managing and maintaining all three as rentals.
As a banker, Chuck was very successful. All who knew him would contact him for financial advice. He was well respected in his career and well regarded as a man of integrity and honesty. When Crocker Bank (Crocker Citizens Bank at that time) was sold to Wells Fargo, around 1975, he was laid off with many others. Yet he quickly got a job at the Bank of Agriculture and Commerce in Stockton. He and Marilyn then moved back to Modesto, and he commuted from there to his job.
Chuck retired from banking in 1982 at the age of 57. Yet although he retired, he was always working. Whether he was remodeling the house in Modesto, working on the cabin in Forbestown, volunteering at church, or helping to fix something at his son or daughter’s homes, he always had a project, a goal.
Chuck was blessed with having 40 years of retirement, almost 75 years of marriage, and 97 years of life. He was a blessing to all who knew him. He was a man of honesty and integrity; a man who was extremely smart, and a man who was incredibly hard working. He exemplified what a true Christian should be.
Chuck was loved and respected by his family and his friends. As his daughter, I was proud to call him my dad.
He made the world a better place.
He is greatly missed.
Leave a Condolence