Christian Charron

Christian Charron passed away on October 24, 2020 at the age of 87. Born on June 23rd, 1933, in Poitiers, France, during the depression, he was the sixth child of Dieudonne Alfred Charron and Marie Madeleine (nee Le Febvre). He spent most of the year in Paris and summers at a family home in Ambarès-et-Lagrave. Chris was forced to grow up quickly as his father left shortly after World War II began in Europe and became a Prisoner of War for several years. As a young child, he and his two younger brothers were home alone when German soldiers searched his house for weapons. After the war, and with a desire to become an engineer, his brother Pierre and father recommended he attend college in the United States. With support from his brother Jean living in the U.S., he left for America at the age of 18 in 1951 to attend college in North Carolina to become an electrical engineer. In 1953, he entered the U.S. Army to gain experience, save some money, and improve his English.

He was eventually assigned to Berlin, Germany, with the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) in the Signal Corps. However, he gained favor from a General Officer impressed with both his language and technical experience and was quickly transferred to NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Versailles, France, during its earliest years. As there was not any room in the enlisted barracks, he was able to live with his family providing support to his parents. He received accolades from many high-ranking officials during his three-year assignment. Thanks to the Army, he returned to the United States as a U.S. Citizen, used the G.I. Bill to complete his education at N. C. State in 1960, and began working for General Electric in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

There, he began to date Verna O’Keefe who would quickly become his wife in 1961 and remained married to her for over 59 years. Eventually, Chris was accepted into a classified program working for G.E. Aerospace moving to Philadelphia, PA, then Louisville, Kentucky, and King of Prussia, PA. In 1969, G.E. Aerospace lost a contract with the United States Air Force after cancellation of the Manned Orbital Lab program, Chris moved with his family to Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, for three years. In 1973, he returned to the United States to work for Honeywell in Westford, Massachusetts. However, he deeply wanted to get back to working in the space industry.

In 1973, he was rehired to work in G.E. Aerospace on a highly classified government project and settled in Newtown Square, PA in 1974. While at G.E. Aerospace (which eventually became part of Lockheed Martin), he was viewed as a brilliant engineer, received many accolades from high-ranking officials in the U.S. Government, and was responsible for the success of multi-billion-dollar government projects. He lived in Newtown Square for the next 38 years.

While there, he became known throughout the neighborhood as “Mr. Fix-It” helping neighbors and friends with minor house repairs including plumbing, electrical, carpentry, landscaping, and tree cutting. The only pay he ever accepted for helping friends was a handshake and a beer. This instilled a sense of generosity and hard work among his 5 children. He and his family would spend a few weeks each summer in Pittsfield where he taught his five children how to swim and water-ski.

Chris retired from Lockheed Martin in 1998 after a total of 38 years working as an engineer almost entirely in the Aerospace industry. However, retirement gave him more time to tinker with electronics as he and his fellow retired engineers spent countless hours repairing tape recorders used for the blind. Additionally, he volunteered his time with Haverford High School’s Robotics club assisting students in designing and building robots for competition. The Charrons eventually moved to White Horse Village in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Chris spent his time competing in the village’s Bocce tournament, meeting with the village Veterans group, working on jigsaw puzzles, and enjoying family visits. He is survived by his wife, his three daughters: Anne Mullins (Robert) of Chevy Chase, Maryland; Patricia Scaramuzzo (Michael) of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, Jeanne Finkelston (Robert) of Willistown, Pennsylvania; his two sons: Paul Charron (Caroline) of East Coventry, Pennsylvania, and Philip Charron (Lesly Attarian) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also has 10 grandchildren: Christian and Kathleen Mullins; Marie, Joseph, and Michael Scaramuzzo; Amanda and David Finkelston; Alan, Nick, and Phil Charron. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Marielle and Anne and his brothers Jean, Pierre, Jacques, Bernard, and Patrice.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for immediate family on Thursday, October 29th. A public memorial to celebrate Chris’s life will be announced following the pandemic.

Funeral Mass will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/thedonohuefuneralhome

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting written expressions of sympathy and donations in Chris’s memory to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, https://give.cff.org/tribute/ChristianCharron