Charles "Chuck" Sander

December 7, 2025

To start with, I am Chucks older brother by one month to the day. Our older brother Larry had Died many years past. Chuck was not born in Medford, Oregon but in the southern town of Ashland, Oregon in the local hospital there.
I do remember a story about Chuck. It was Saturday after noon and he left in the car leaving our father Roy and my self cleaning the garage. Now when the work was done he again showed up all excited. "I found a small stream full of trout." he yelled. Roy asked him how he knew the stream was full of trout. Proudly he replied. There was a bridge with a fish hatchery truck on it dumping live trout into the stream. Chuck ran to the barn and got our fishing pols and tackle box. Roy quirkily shut the garage door and we were off. When we arrived at the bridge the fish hatchery truck was gone. We spread out along the stream bank. About 30 minutes later Chuck and I had limited out but Roy had only three so Chuck and I helped him fill his limit. We had trout for dinner.
The whole family loved fishing at Brooking, Oregon. We went out to ketch salmon that were running up the Chetco's River. I was the only one who managed to ketch my limit of three. Chuck had two and Roy none. Chuck went back out after lunch and filled Roy's limit and Chucks limit. Except for Larry our older brother who was in college. We would go down and watch Chuck play football for the Medford Black Tornado. And he was good.
To chucks sister (I don't remember her name) Roy and Marion did try to adopt her also, but the Children Service would not let us have her. I know that Roy and Marion were told not to tell Chuck this. He fretted over this for the majority of his life. The night Roy and I went over to pick up Chuck, he and his sister were playing in their bedroom.

Where do you even start, the loss of a beloved brother. One of the craziest memories I have .wa when I was in the 4th grade Chuck was going into his senior year we were haying on dads state line ranch . Chuck, brother Bud and I worked I drove tractor and they bucked hay onto the low boy trailer. Chuck being the oldest and strongest kept us going all the time long days and hard work, but we always found time to do stuff together. Shooting guns , bow and arrows and throwing knives .c
Constantly Hunting ground squirrels, badgers, Indian artifacts, wild and crazy rides on dusty ranch roads . One day after riding horses and putting them away Chuck had this great Idea to haystack a pile of hay in the barn yard there was a old pulley on a arm in the loft some how managed to get a rope into it and use it to swing out to land in the pile, Chuck and Bud made it to the pile safely, big long drop from a 1870s Swedish built barn, Chuck on the ground yelling and encouraging me to run grab the rope and swing out and let go. Missed the pile by alot knocked the wind out of me could not move he got me up and had me walk it off and told me how lucky I was I just missed the pitchfork. Rope was taken down and pile was moved and I was sworn to absolute secrecy. Now thats what big brothers are for best summer of my life as a kid being able to look up to and idolize my brother . Listened to every football game he played in on the AM radio he was a high school star. Families are a complicated thing and after he went into the navy and started his busy life and career contact was lost. When we reconnect as adults , the strong brother bound was still there and will be for eternity. I will never ever forget his smile when he caught a steelhead on a fly out of the front of my drift boat the first time I took him down the Rogue River . He lit his pipe looked back at me and said THAT'S THE WAY YOU DO IT! Love you and miss you brother ❤️

I met Chuck in a coffee shop when I was in my 20s, when my dad was reconnecting with his brother. I had never so instantly found family in a person. He looked like family. He felt like family. He laughed like family.

Chuck and Renee welcomed me and my dad into their home for a visit when I was 30 and pregnant with my first child. (Dad and I traveled across the country together, which we don’t do often.) Renee and I went out for pedicures and I remember seeing fireflies for the first time through Chuck’s night vision goggles. It was a special moment to spend with him and I was so grateful to get to meet him.

I may have only met Chuck twice, but knowing him was important to me and I know that the daily conversations my dad had with him in the later part of his life felt to him like a filled hole in his life.

We are thinking of you and your family.

We are not related to Chuck and Renee and CJ, but they treated us just like a part of their family for many years, inviting us to their gatherings for holidays with their family. Those were great times. We will always have a special place in our hearts for all three of you. Dave, Kim, Melanie, Nathan and Chelsea Johnson