| Graduation Year | Class of 1958 |
| Date of Birth | Jan 05, 1940 |
| Date of Passing | Jul 24, 2016 |
| About | Charles Austin Faulkner was born in Sallisaw, Oklahoma on January 5, 1940. He passed away on July 24, 2016 at the age of 75. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry (Jack) and Alberta Faulkner; as well as his infant sister, Doris Ann. The family came to the Yakima Valley in the early 1940’s. Chuck went to Union Gap grade school, Washington Jr. High, and Yakima High. In 1958, he graduated from Eisenhower High School. He lived to hunt and fish. In his teen years, he picked a lot of fruit to make gas money (39 cents per gal) for his car. While in high school, he had a few “sick days” during hunting season and harvest. He managed to keep a very good GPA. In his senior year, he worked for Layman’s Grocery in Union Gap, where he learned to be a checker. After graduation, he served 4 years in the U.S. Navy. During his service, he was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for 3 1/2 years. In 1955, at the age of 15, he met his future wife, Barbara (14 years). They were married September 17, 1960 and were married for 55 years. In March 1962, his son, Scott, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. His other son, Glenn, was born in June 1963 in Yakima, Washington. After the Navy, they made their home in Yakima, where he was employed by Safeway until 1969. In that year he joined the Yakima Fire Dept. There, he worked for 21 1/2 years until, for medical reasons, he had to retire in 1990. As their sons were growing up, they spent many happy times going to T-up – little league and grid kids games, snowmobiling, and fishing. In 1969, the family moved to Selah on a little farm and orchard where they raised cattle and “bottle baby” calves. For various reasons it was called their “funny” farm. Chuck wore many hats. He was a husband, dad, firefighter, farmer, and builder. He, along with two firemen, built several homes together. In 1990, they built a new home in Selah, and then moved back to Yakima in 2011. For the last 10 years, they were snowbirds in Meza, Arizona. They made wonderful friends from all over the states and Canada. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; sons, Scott (Nancy) and Glenn (Teresa); 4 sisters, Helen (Pete) Gravatt of Vancouver, WA, Barbara Farfan of Folsom, CA, Judy (Lee) Johnson of Manson, WA, Sherry (Mac) Jolly of Lynnwood, WA; 4 grandchildren, Ryan Faulkner, Alicia (Casey) Sainsbury, Andrea Faulkner and Seth Faulkner; as well as numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces. He was a member of the Selah United Methodist Church. |
