Charles P. Lake Obituary (1940

ROCKLAND - Charles P. Lake, 80, passed away Sunday, March 7, at the Woodlands from complications of COVID-19 and dementia. Charlie was born July 19, 1940, in Oklahoma City, OK, to Mary Lee (Hagan) and R. T. Lake. He was one of 7 children, and graduated from Modoc High School in 1958. Charlie joined the Navy in 1959 and served on the USS Chipola, an oiler. He was very proud of the fact that he had observed atomic blasts in the Pacific in 1962. He was also stationed in Japan and Hawaii. He met Joan DeCastro in Baltimore one day before his ship sailed back to San Francisco, and it was love at first sight. They married in Reno, NV, in 1961, and when he was discharged from the Navy came back to live with Joan's parents in Rockland, ME, whom he loved dearly. Charlie and Joan held a second wedding ceremony in Rockland. Charlie had a variety of jobs to take care of his growing family. His jobs included working at Crie's Hardware and Sherm's Plumbing in Friendship, running his own Electrical & Plumbing business, providing customer service at Pik Quik, serving as an agent for Met Life, and then as manager of the Navigator Motor Inn until retirement. From his position at the Navigator front desk, he loved socializing with his Vinalhaven friends as they were coming and going from the island. Charlie loved sports of all kinds, and he coached all three of his sons and his future son-in-law, Mike Blum, on Pee Wee basketball teams. He coached his daughters in Rec Girls basketball. He also coached Little League and Babe Ruth baseball. He was a Boy Scout troop leader. He played on the Fox & Ginn Truckers, an over-30 league basketball team, on which he enjoyed playing even to an almost completely empty rec center. Charlie served a term on the City Council and the School Board in the '70's when his children attended school. Predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Joan; his parents, R. T. and Mary Lee Lake; his wife's parents, Frank and Mary DeCastro; his brothers, James Ernest and Robert; and his sisters, Dixie Lee and Melinda Grace, Charlie is survived by his children, Debra Blum of Bath, ME, her husband, Michael, and their three children, Haley, Jessie and Wesley; Melinda Rose and her husband, Charley, of Worthington, MA; Charles Jr. and his partner Debra of Phoenix, AZ; James of Panama City, FL, his wife, Verna, and their sons James Jr., and Joshua; and Jeffrey and his wife, Cathy, daughter Sadie and son, Liam, who reside in Rockland. He is also survived by his brother Val and his sister Peggy, both of Arizona, and many nieces, nephews and friends. Charlie was a people person and always had a story to tell or a joke to make. In his later years, he loved weekly breakfasts with Joan, Deb and Mike at Moody's Diner, and always saw someone there that he knew. He also enjoyed eating at Hill's Seafood and the Rockport Diner with Deb and Mike. He loved joking with the staff. He enjoyed birdwatching at his feeder, watching the Red Sox and Patriots, and keeping fit by walking the South End neighborhoods.The family would like to thank the members of the staffs at the Woodlands and Beacon Hospice for their compassionate care. A service and burial will be held at the end of summer. If you would like to donate in Charlie's name, please consider the Maine Audubon Society, at https://maineaudubon.org/support/give/ or call (207) 781-2330, ext. 230, or the Midcoast Babe Ruth League, 119 Tillson Avenue, Rockland, ME 04841.2d:{"dateTime":"",