Charles Lee McLaughlin was born in Bakersfield, California, on June 8, 1928 to Harold Winfield McLaughlin and Helen Loraine Seymour McLaughlin. He passed from this world on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2025.
Chuck, a true Gemini, was a master of many trades—artist, musician, poet, writer, carpenter, genealogist, bbq website master, activist, spiritual seeker, and lover of beauty and nature. He could visualize the art or carpentry project he wanted to create in his mind and then make it happen.
But mostly it was being a father that filled his soul. His seven sons and one daughter were always in his heart.
His first family consisted of four sons; Craig Lee (1950-2016), Chris Carson (1952-1983), Carl Richard (1954-2024) and Charles Lee. Their mother was Joan Ardelle Hall (1931-2015). To Chuck’s deep sorrow, Craig, Chris and Carl preceded him in death.
Next came Paul Richard, born in 1968, whose mother is Jeanie Hall McLaughlin.
Chuck spent the last half of his long life with his third wife, Barbara Schramm McLaughlin and together they had twins, Mark Jacob and David Shannon McLaughlin. With this marriage came his only daughter, Erika Luella Gilman Branch, whom he helped raise from her earliest years. Having only boys it was both an honor and a challenge to parent a daughter.
Wrestling with the “Great Bambinis” (his first four boys), carrying young Paul on his shoulders down to the beach, and being Mr. Mom to Erika, Mark and David were some of Chuck’s joys of fatherhood. He was extremely proud of all his children and guiding them into adulthood was a sacred responsibility to him.
His strength, vibrant energy, determination, intelligence and ability to create carried him almost seamlessly through most of his 96 years. For instance, his vision
of being mortgage free saw him building a new house at the age of 75 with Barbara, Mark and David. Upon his arrival in Cannon Beach in 1975, looking around to see what wasn’t there, his vision led him to start Geppetto’s Toy Shoppe. When his son, Paul, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 3, his determination and love literally saved Paul’s life.
Some of the thirty plus paying jobs Chuck held in his life included, bucking hay, selling men’s clothes, picking cotton, grapes and tomatoes and taking tickets at a drive-in. He was a probation officer, teacher, credit manager, oil rough neck, life guard, bank teller, bus driver, and warehouse manager to name a few.
When he was 16 in 1944, with his mother’s permission, he joined the Merchant Marines and was a seaman on oil tankers, delivering fuel to American ships in the Pacific. Before the end of World War II he joined the Naval Air Corps where he was a radio operator.
His “nonpaying” jobs included KMUN programmer, one of the founders and “Rummage King” of Fire Mountain School, Wheeler City Councilor, Cannon Beach Planning Commissioner and BBQ website master for over 20 years (www.northcoastbbq.com). It was very important to him to give to his community.
He also loved giving away his art to friends and family. On medallions cut from ivory cue balls, he scrimshawed personalized nature images and made them into necklaces as presents. There are also a number of his symbolically carved walking sticks in the hands of others. When he could no longer walk, see or hear very well, he envisioned his last art piece that his son David put together after Chuck’s passing—Elk antlers given to him by son, Mark, with a dangling elk tooth he found on one of his nature walks.
Chuck composed over 50 Haiku. Of haiku he says, “Haiku to me is a verbal portrait of a non-verbal moment in time … a moment on occasion evoking an intuitive response transcending the obvious and, on occasion, providing a non-dualistic oneness with what is seen.”
ON WET RIVER ROCK
A WATER OUZEL DIPPING
DIPPING, DIPPING…SPLASH!
Music and nature were also a big part of his life. His love of music started in the 4th Grade when he was mesmerized by the school orchestra. Instead of walking through the auditorium to the restroom, he sat and listened so long his teacher had to come find him. He loved drumming and played the conga for many years before joining local bands Shy Jazz, playing a drum set, and the Sedona Fire Band with whom he played bongos and cajon. He also sat in often with the Tsunami Drummers.
As a young boy he lived in San Francisco near Golden Gate Park and spent many hours roaming there. When his family lived in Bakersfield, he explored the nearby desert country. In Cannon Beach, he got his nature fix wandering along Ecola Creek as well as hiking many other coastal trails.
Besides his wife, Barbara, and children, Charles, Paul, Erika, Mark and David, he is survived by daughters-in-law Hillary (Charles), Judi (Paul), Jackie (David) and Kate (Mark) as well as son-in-law Jason (Erika). He leaves behind 16 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, and 4 great-great grandchildren. He is also survived by 5 nieces and 5 nephews as well as numerous great and great-great nieces and nephews.
Besides his parents and sons, Craig, Chris and Carl, his siblings, Harold Winfield McLaughlin and Barbara Jean Petzolt and their spouses, as well as several nephews preceded him in death.
Chuck was an avid genealogist. To see his ancestors go to www.wikitree.com/wiki/McLaughlin-2367#Ancestors
A celebration of life will be held on June 1 at 2pm at the White Clover Grange in Nehalem.
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