Charles Hadley "Charlie" Swisher

     Charles Hadley Swisher, a resident of Dufur, Oregon, passed away October 24, 2019 at the age of 96.  He was the oldest of two sons to Haymon Swisher and Hazel (Keller) Swisher.  One of his grandfathers was a founder of the mining town Cornucopia, Oregon in 1886 following the discovery of gold in the area.  His first Job was working in the famous Queen of the West mine.

     As a senior in high school in Baker City he competed a s along distance runner.  After high school he moved to Cornucopia and stayed with his father there until 1941 when he moved to Portland to take a course a Benson Tech High School.  Boeing hired him out of the class there for sixty-two and a half cents an hour.  Charlie soon discovered her could make one dollar- forty-five cents an hour working at the shipyards in Portland. 

     After the Pearl Harbor attack, Charlie signed up for the Naval Air Corps.   He was stationed at Oak Harbor, Washington working on Catalina Sea Planes with self-sealing gas tanks.  

     On October 3, 1944 Charlie married Pearl G Schuls in Mt. Vernon, Washington.

     Charlie joined the Corps of Engineers in 1952 first working as a security guard.   In 1963 one of his bosses discovered how smart he was and offered a promotion to be the supervisor of the navigation locks at the John Day Dam.  In the early 1970’s he was named the head of park and recreation facilities at The Dalles Dam until he retired and moved to Dufur in 1990.     

     Charlie was strong in his Catholic faith and was a member of the Knights of Columbus.  He was also a member of the Elks and the Eagles.

     He is survived by his son, Gary Swisher (Becky); daughter, Sharon Swisher; five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

          A Celebration of Life will be held 1:00 Saturday December 7, 2019 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 420 NE 1st Street, Dufur, Oregon, 97021, with Rev. Father Fabian Nwokorie and Rev. Father Magg officiating.

     Christian Burial Committal will be at St. Peter Catholic Cemetery, 1222 W. 10th Street, The Dalles, Oregon with Rev. Father Joseph Levine officiating.