Dear Judy,
Dementia has been humbling. I have almost ninety years of memories that I wanted to share with you and the many wonderful and caring people at our nursing home, but I couldn't.
I was born during the depression in Chicago on 3/27/1931. We were just trying to make ends meet living with my grandma. Her husband, Charles William Ailsworth, is who I was named after. He was an adventurist if there ever was one. At 13 he left his home in Dover, England to board a ship as a crewman. Grandpa eventually sailed around the globe three times over. He survived a shipwreck to become a steamfitter at Niagara Falls, and finally a farmer in northern Alberta, Canada. During a run to town for coal, he found the local coalmine was flooded. Grandpa offered to fix the pump in freezing, waste deep water. When done he headed back home. On the way he was caught in a blizzard. Grandpa and his team of horses survived it in an old, abandoned barn. However, he caught pneumonia and never recovered. He died later that spring in 1919. Grandma, Uncle Earl, and my dad returned to Chicago, where she had family.
As a young kid we moved often, as Dad looked for work as a chiropractor. We went from Chicago to Niagara Falls to Niagara on the Lake, Canada. When I was seven, we finally grew roots in Buchanan, Michigan. It was there that my dad saved a 9-year-old girl who had been swimming. He did artificial resuscitation. Like any other kid I loved hunting, fishing, baseball, and fixing things. Ran a trap line each morning before school. Thought I was a millionaire when I caught my first mink. In high school I of course played ball for the Buchanan Bucks. As for being able to fix anything, I'm proud to say that no repairman ever stepped foot in my house.
Just prior to going Adrian College, I lived near Kalkaska, alone on an old, grounded, houseboat. I hunted and fished and worked for the CCC. Hated Adrian. Mostly because my kooky sister Helen was also there. Transferred to Western Michigan, but still not overly serious. To avoid being drafted during Korea, I enlisted in the Navy to choose my destiny. Was my second try with the Navy. Earlier the Naval Academy denied me for having a silly "end to end bite". After boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Station, I became a Corpsman and served on the USS Electra. Always said that old pile of steel saved my life. She could barely float, so they had to keep us stateside in San Diego, Seattle, and the Pribilof Islands up in Alaska.
Things were different back then. After four years I was discharged. I had to find my own way home. The trains didn't stop at Buchanan, so I had to jump off in a snowbank and have my buddy Howard throw me my duffle bag. Mom and my little brother George were sure surprised to see me. My Mom, Kathryn, was a wonderful woman. Loved to read and so truly kind.
I went back to Western, a little more serious this time, in pre-med. Met a girl studying to be an Occupational Therapist, Susan Young from Elk Rapids, Michigan. I married her on 6/16/56! We started our family right away. Was accepted to med school but things went south. We lost our first baby John in infancy. Then had to give up my spot in med school because a snafu with the GI Bill. Eventually life straightened out. We had three more wonderful kids. Karen is now that doctor I never was. She lives in Wisconsin, married to Dave Kinzer. They gave me two fantastic grandkids: Ben and Geneva. My son Kent and his wife Ann (Alwood) are both RNs in here in northern Michigan. They gave me my first great grandkids: Kallan and Kai. My youngest is Charles Ernest Ailsworth III, also known as Chuck. He's an engineer downstate, married Mee Hyang Lee, and gave me two outstanding grandkids: Charlie and Kristen. Was able to help all my kids and grandkids with their education!
For years I dragged my poor family to universities across the U.S.: Western Michigan (BS '57, MA '63), Wisconsin, Kansas, and my beloved University of North Dakota (MS in Teaching '64). I started teaching in Midland, but we quickly moved to Traverse City. Taught Chemistry, Physics, and Honor's Senior Science. Became the Chairman for their Science Department. I had so many outstanding students, like yourself. It was my former students that had me honored as Teacher of the Year up at Michigan Tech. Hundreds of you honored me as well by throwing a party for me that I will never forget!
We live in a beautiful area and I enjoyed the sailing, cross country skiing, and biking. Sailing in the bays or out on Lake Michigan was always fun. Finished the Vasa in my fifties, and even biked across Iowa with Susan. I tried to give back to my community. Was a coach for the high school, every year I took my students to Chicago, was a Den Leader for the Boy Scouts, and was twice elected as City Commissioner for Traverse City. I was Mayor Pro Tem before we moved outside of Traverse.
Susan and I loved to travel. We had planned to finish our careers overseas, but she died of cancer in 1987. I went on to teach for the Department of Defense, first at Subic Bay in the Philippines, later in Wiesbaden, Germany. At Subic, I met fellow teacher Dottie Clement. She was a widow from Tennessee who had raised her own five kids: Mike, Mark, Jeff, Jana, and John. Together Dottie and I continued the travels where Susan I had left off. With the spirit of my own Grandpa, I have been to South America, Africa, Asia, all over Europe, Mexico, Canada, and in all fifty states. During the summer of 1970, we camped for three months straight as we traveled across the U.S. By July, those kids could fly setting up our Scamper pop-up camper.
I lived a full life. Saw a tornado in Missouri, John F. Kennedy in North Dakota, watched The Wall come down when in Berlin, and went to a World Series game with my grandkids in Detroit. In 1964 my family and I survived a killer flood, trapped for several days on a Montana mountainside. Many were not so lucky as us. For others less fortunate, I felt honored to be able to put a friend through nursing school, and to pay for an aide's medical bill that was preventing her husband from having life saving surgery in the Philippines.
After Dottie passed in 2015, I moved back home to Traverse City. Dementia caught up with me soon after. I have been at our home ever since. 2020 has been a kick in the teeth. My family could no longer visit. Judy, you, other wonderful CENAs, the nurses, Hospice, and the rest of those here became my family. But I have never been able to tell you how much I appreciate all of you. I won't miss 2020, but I will sure miss you and the others. Please be safe and I hope somehow you realize how much I appreciate you for all you have gone through just to take care of me. THANK-YOU.
Sincerely, "Chuck"

(Charles Ernest Ailsworth Jr. ~ 3/27/1931 - 12/11/2020)

P.S. In lieu of flowers, I would feel honored if you would please donate to Hospice of Michigan instead. Thanks-you once more. https://www.hom.org/donations/

Please feel free to share your thoughts and memories with Charles' family at his tribute page at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com .