Charles Dennis Engle
A light has gone out of this world as our father, mentor, teacher, advisor, and most staunch supporter transitioned peacefully to the spiritual realm on May 27, 2026.
He was born in a small West Virginia town on the banks of the Ohio River. Moundsville was known for its large ancient indigenous burial mound. It was also the home of the state penitentiary across the street, which was built in the style of a stone fortress.
Born in January 1929,the year of the Great Depression, money was quite scarce. He worked a myriad of different jobs, including two paper routes simultaneously and very early morning hours in a bakery. His parents and beloved brother Dick moved every couple of months to a different rented house to save 25 cents.
He enjoyed small town life in the presence of both maternal and paternal grandparents and extended family. His Native American grandmother planted Portulaca (moss-rose) along her garden paths. Every year, as an adult, he would include the same plant in his garden in her memory. His paternal grandfather encouraged his love of electricity and allowed him to tinker in their basement with vacuum tubes and radios. This knowledge served him well during the Korean War. As a first Lieutenant in the Signal Corps, he led a communications radio group in the frigid Korean mountains.
As a boy, he enjoyed thrilling adventures with his pals, like skiing down the icy, steep roads of town on curtain rods. They also swam in the polluted river, but kept their mouths closed while doing the breaststroke to push debris away from their faces. He’s told stories of perilous employment too. He drove trucks in the mountains, where sometimes the brakes failed. He was hired to help install high tension wire, but was accidentally pulled much too high. He had to hang by his knees after his arms gave out until he was rescued. While working at a factory that built conduit, the environment was so loud, he suffered hearing loss that continued his whole life.
His interest in electricity and working on radios landed him a job two hours away in Morgantown. One day while busy working in front of the window of that shop, a tall statuesque redhead stopped to watch him. He says she winked at him! Later that week on Saturday night, he saw her again at the rollerskating rink. They continued skating through life together for more than 70 years until her death in September 2023. He is now reunited with his life’s love.
He was able to attend college in Elkins, West Virginia on a $50 scholarship. When he returned from the Korean War, he was able to attend West Virginia university on the G.I. Bill. After graduating with an engineering degree, he was hired by NACA, the national advisory committee on aeronautics in Columbus, Ohio. His boss transferred from Columbus to NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia and encouraged Charlie to move his young family here as well.
Upon arrival in Virginia, he designed and built his own home. His two redheaded children pounded nails in the sub-flooring as he and his wife did most of the construction. It was a young neighborhood where neighbors joined in to help neighbors. He assisted with pouring concrete driveways, installing roofing shingles, and other tasks as needed. But the neighbors knew how to have fun too. Several of the residents tried their hand at home crafting beer in the 60s. They enjoyed sharing their wares on Friday evenings. No one had to drive under the influence because they walked from house to house. Sometimes the recipes were not quite right. Dad told stories about hearing a few bottles explode in our garage from too much sugar!
He was always interested in good health and exercise. He competed in track and field Masters Tournaments in several states. Later those evolved into State Senior Games and he consistently won gold medals. In addition, he hiked the 2000 miles of the Appalachian Trail in both directions! He rode his bicycle the length of the Ohio river from Pittsburgh all the way to Kentucky. For part of that trip, one of his grand nephews joined in the adventure. It was a joy for both of them.
He was a dedicated community member and served as PTA president, started Troop 200 Boy Scouts, and quietly visited neighbors and friends in need.
While working at NASA, he contributed to the Lunar Orbiter Project. They took film pictures of the moon’s surface in preparation for later landing sites. One of his most memorable tasks at NASA was working on the Viking Mission. During the bicentennial year of 1976, Viking landed on Mars. What an accomplishment!
He was humble, honest, non-judgmental, and generous. Those of us in his sphere miss him greatly, but we are very thankful to have shared his wonderfully long life.
He leaves behind to cherish his memory: his daughter Susie Engle and her husband Dr Bill Judge, his son Chuck Engle and wife Marsha Engle, two grandsons, Dr. Joshua Hill, and Chas Engle and wife Hailey Engle, two great granddaughters, Emma and Dovelyn, as well as many loving extended family and friends.
A celebration of life is planned for noon, June 18 at Grace Episcopal Church, Yorktown (111 Church Street) in the Parish Hall. A light luncheon will be served. During the reception, if you would like to tell a brief story about how his life impacted yours, we invite you to share.
Those wishing to contribute toward his memory may send donations to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy located in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
