Memorial

Charles William Schwarz, 98, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away Wednesday, December 14, 2016 under the care of UnityPoint St. Luke’s Hospice.

Funeral services will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, December 17, 2016 at the Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the chapel.  Interment will follow at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.

Charles William Schwarz was born July 11, 1918 in Burlington, Iowa, the sixth child of William and Lillian (Brown) Schwarz.  He attended Sunnyside grade school there and was a caddy at the Burlington Country Club.  In 1929 his family moved to Cedar Rapids where he graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1936.  He worked at Weaver Witwer Grocery warehouse for several years and then joined the Civilian Conservation Corp.  He joined the Army in World War II and landed at Normandy Beach, France, June 8, 1944, two days after D Day.

When the war ended, he returned to Cedar Rapids and worked at several manufacturing jobs, his last one being at P.M. Lattner Manufacturing Company as a boiler maker.

All his life Charlie loved fishing, and he taught two generations of nephews and nieces to fish.  He caught catfish and crappies in the Cedar River and at Lake Macbride, trout near Decorah, and walleyes and northerns in Minnesota.  He kept a typed journal of all the places he fished and what he caught, and he always shared fish with his family and neighbors.

Charles was a very kind and generous man.  In his home on H Avenue he took care of his mother in her last years, and he raised a large garden and gave many vegetables to neighbors and relatives.  As he was considering moving to Higley Mansion, he gave his fishing equipment, his boat, his car, his furniture and household goods to those who could get some good out of those things.  If he asked how the old Calcutta pole was doing, he was really happy to hear that it was still catching fish.

He is survived by nieces and nephews Robert (Rita) Schwarz, Richard (Karen) Schwarz, James (Karen) Schwarz, all of Aurora, Illinois; Larry (Carol) Bowen of Cedar Rapids, Judy (Mike) Chadek of Higden, Arkansas, Joan (Steve) Smith of Clive, Dean (Geraldine) Schwarz of Decorah, Beverley (Duncan) Suthers of Cedar Rapids, Bill (Judy) Schwarz of Cedar Rapids, Bart (Bette) Schwarz of San Diego, California, Todd Schwarz of San Diego, California, Charles Bret Schwarz of Cedar Rapids, Rogette (James) Steele of Marion, and many great- and great-great nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, all of his siblings including Vivian Boyer, Katherine Brizendine, Frances Bowen, Robert Schwarz, Frank Schwarz, Gail Schwarz, and Roger Schwarz, and nephews Steven Schwarz and James Bowen, and great-nephew Jeremy Reinert.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Charlie’s name may be directed to UnityPoint St. Luke’s Hospice.