James Charles "Chuck" Preble

Chuck Preble has died at age 90 of complications from a fall. Chuck was born to James and Marjorie (Stone) Preble in Salem, Oregon. He gained an early appreciation for hard work by delivering newspapers as a boy and in his job as machinist’s assistant in his teens. He developed a life-long love of the outdoors as a boy scout and enjoyed hiking and backpacking in the Olympic Mountains for over 70 years. He quit smoking at age 40 and began running daily. He participated in running events, including the Seattle, Portland, and Olympic Discovery half-marathons, and finished his final half-marathon at age 79.

Shortly after high school, Chuck married Doris ‘Laela’ Wilson and together they had 3 children: Michael, Darcanne, and David. While working full-time to support his growing family, he completed 2 engineering degrees at the University of Washington. This first marriage ended in divorce after 29 years. Chuck was then married for 9 years to Mary Ellen Arasim, helping to raise her children David, Dianne, Cindy, and James to young adulthood. In 1992 Chuck married long-time friend and colleague Rosalie Weible, and they built a home in Sequim on land he had owned since the sixties.

Chuck began his engineering career at Boeing and Bendix and then worked for Honeywell as an engineer and executive for over 30 years. He and Rosalie continued to work as consultants for another decade before a throat cancer diagnosis forced his full retirement. Although given low odds of survival, Chuck endured aggressive radiation and chemotherapy treatment with subsequent intensive rehabilitation and enjoyed another 18 years of productive life.

Among Chuck’s proudest achievements was his 20-year participation as a volunteer and leader in the Peninsula Trails Coalition’s role in planning and construction of the Olympic Discovery Trail. His often-expressed hope was that he would live long enough to see the trail completed. Chuck’s special and highly-visible legacy is the network of trail signs along the roadways and the trail itself. Brushing up on his computer graphics skills, he designed and developed the artwork for the many signs, transferred them to the sign shop for fabrication, then picked them up in Seattle to deliver them for installation. In recent years Chuck had recognized that his mental sharpness was beginning to decline and he passed on his trail responsibilities to other volunteers.

Chuck is survived by his wife Rosalie; children Michael (Beverly) Preble, Darcanne (John) Nixon, and David Preble; grandchildren Jonathan (Lori) Preble and Jaime (Scott) Shields; and great-granddaughter Roxie Preble. He was preceded in death by mother Marjorie Preble, father James Preble, brother David Preble, sister Marjorie Preble, step-mother Blanche Preble, and daughter-in-law Christy Preble.

No services are planned at this time.