Charles William Henry

Charles William Henry was born to Harvey and Thelma Henry on July 30,1927 in Sawtelle, CA and passed away on December 5, 2022 after a courageous and hard-fought battle with Cancer. He was a beloved Husband, best Dad ever, Grandpa, Great Grandpa, Uncle and dear friend to many.

Chuck spent countless hours on the family farm in Wasco during his early years. After graduating from Kern County High School in 1945, he enlisted in the Navy Seabees during WWII at the young age of 17. After the War, he later became a licensed Architect and built our childhood home which we moved into in 1969. Chuck had many hobbies. From 1948 –1957, he was a professional race car driver and won the California State Nascar Championship in 1957. He was also a very talented dancer, excelling in Adagio, Ballet & Tap. If you ever had the pleasure of seeing he and Barbara dance, you would have seen how talented he was. Chuck also spent many years riding tote goats and deer hunting with the Horne family. He collected antique insulators for many years. Chuck loved to mine for turquoise and gold with his close friend Larry, and designed & created many beautiful pieces of jewelry. He and Barbara enjoyed many years going to ghost towns and metal detecting with their dear friends Martin and Louise. Chuck also continued to ‘scrounge’ for gold, Indian beads and other antique relics well into his 90’s with dear friends Fawn and Kathy.

Chuck is survived by his wife Barbara; children Craig (Teri), Mern (Rob), Kay, Dru (Laurel) and Bob (Katy); grandchildren Patrick (Jamie), Parker, Nikki (Allie), Charles (Julie) and Kameryn (Christopher); great grandchildren Logan, Cody and Hunter; special niece Julie as well as many other close family and friends.

Chuck was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Vivian, his sister Esther (Paul), nephew Jim and beloved dog Queenie.

Special thanks to the exceptional and caring staff at Rosewood especially Dennise, Teresa, Sumi and Jan.

A military service will be held on December 8, 2023 @ 2 p.m. at the Bakersfield National Cemetery. Chuck would have wanted everyone to be comfortable so please dress casual (jeans, flannels, your favorite western shirt, etc).