Charles Dunham

Charles E. "Gene" Dunham, 85, of Kansas, Oklahoma passed away on Monday, June 7, 2010. Charles was born in Sioux City, Iowa on Feb 27, 1925 to Charles and Beatrice Dunham. He had a paper route at age 11 to help his mother support the family as his dad had passed. He went into the Navy at age 17 and sent an allotment home every month to help his mother. He met Muriel Lloyd in Virginia Beach, Va. while in the Navy. They married on March 13, 1946. After they married, she went to Atchison, Kansas to live while he returned to duty with the Navy. In 1952, he was honorably discharged from the Navy and return to Atchison, Kansas to live with his wife. He was a civil service electrician and retired from the Civil Service. After retirement he helped his wife run her business, Muriel's Country Inn at Louisville, Kansas, until they sold the business. He lived 40 years in Louisville, Kansas. In the latter 2008, he became ill and needed to live with someone so he moved to Oklahoma and lived with his son Charles Jr. (Chuck), who took care of him until his death. He enjoyed playing pool. Even at age 84 he could not wait for Wednesday evenings to go play pool. He enjoyed fishing and hunting. He looked forward to going to the casino to play the Quick hit machines. Sometimes he was lucky and took money home. Other times he was happy to play even though he lost. He was always joking and teasing everyone. He loved spending time with his grandchildren. He danced in Las Vegas at his grandson's wedding in August 2009. He was so happy he was able to attend the wedding. He loved watching NASCAR with his son Chuck every Sunday when it was on. He enjoyed his buddy Flipper, the cat, who rode on the seat of the walker as it was being pushed around the house by him. Memorial Services will be held in Louisville, Kansas at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of Shipman's Funeral Cremation Service. Survivors include 2 sons; Raymond Eugene Dunham and Chuck Dunham; 2 daughters, Patricia Dunham and Gail Marie Fairchild; 2 sisters, Shirley Hill and Elizabeth (Betty) Munson; His 12 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren; many other relatives and friends.