Obituary of Charles Henry Warfield

Charles Henry Warfield, 94, passed away Tuesday, April 7, 2020 after a brief stay at Rose Arbor Hospice. He leaves behind his wife of 73 years, Dorothy Warfield; brother Carl (Waneta) Warfield, his daughter Linda Reynolds, daughter Bonnie Shannon, son Charles (Cheryl) Warfield Jr, and son William Warfield; 5 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren and friends. Born in Kibbie, Michigan on May 8, 1925 to Nelson and Rose Warfield, he was a lifelong resident of Southwest Michigan. After his father’s passing, at the age of 14 he quit school to help work the family’s 200-acre farm and support his 3 sisters, 2 brothers. At the age of 17 he tried to enlist in the Army only to be turned away due to being underage. Still determined to join the armed forces, he found his way to the Marine Corps, lied about his age and successfully enlisted. He served in WWII from 1944 to 1946 in the Pacific Theatre. Trained as a tank gunner and flamethrower, he engaged in combat in Iwo Jima and the Volcano Islands. One highlight for him during this tragic time was being in Iwo Jima during the historic raising of the flag. The other highlight for Chuck during those years was letter writing to the girl he had briefly met during a snowball fight before enlisting, Dorothy. Chuck and Dot fell in love in those letters and were married less than a year after Chuck returned home from the Marine Corps. In 1950, Chuck and his father-in-law built a house that would become his and Dot’s forever home in Portage, Michigan. They went on to raise their four children in that home, and enjoyed many special family moments there. Chuck worked in a packaging factory for many years, but what brought him the most joy was spending time with his family, fishing, and working in his good-sized garden. Annual camping family vacations, teaching his grandchildren to drive the tractor, sharing produce with family and neighbors, and eating Dorothy’s home-cooking were some of his favorite times. Strong and proud, yet warm and loving, Chuck will be greatly missed by all of those that were lucky enough to know him.