Charles died peacefully at his memory care unit after an eight year long battle with dementia. He was born and raised in Goodland, KS, with a brief stint in Kansas City, KS. He had one younger brother who predeceased him. His leadership skills emerged early and he was elected Class President one year at Sherman County High School. He was also on the Debate team in high school and college. Charles went on to graduate from the University of Kansas and earned a JD degree from KU Law School. At KU Law he was in the top 10% of his class and also helped recruit over 800 students to the Canterbury Club (Episcopal) and even considered becoming a priest. After training with ROTC he joined the United States Air Force and served as a Captain at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. He was part of the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) and had special training at the FBI Center in Washington, D.C. He also served in the Air Force Reserves for six years.

Charles came from a long line of lawyers. After college and the military he served as the Assistant District Attorney for the City of Wichita and then opened his own law firm in Goodland and hired two junior attorneys and two secretaries. He was also adept at business excelling in home building and sales. Charles and his wife Nancy Hamilton Sparks adopted two children, Karen and David, as infants which brought great joy to their lives. David passed away 30 years ago.

In August of 1988 he married his current wife, Laurel Vander, who was with him for 42 fantastic and adventurous years.

Charles had many diverse interests including civil rights activism (especially involved in the Episcopal Church), politics, cooking, exploring many restaurants around the country, travel in the U.S., Hawaii, Mexico, Haiti, Canada, England and Scotland, hiking, camping, skiing and parties. He LOVED parties and even had a special Hawaiian shirt he wore to a lot of parties. His wife Laurel threw a big party for his 90th birthday last June. He also served on the Vestry of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Denver where he was a member for 50 years.

Charles was an eternal optimist and had a great sense of humor and loved a good joke. He was a man of action and had many friends. He also cared a great deal for the poor, hungry and unhoused. He had a heart of gold and supported many local charities.

Charles left behind his wife, Laurel, his daughter, Karen, stepson, Chuck, grandchildren, Hunter, Hamilton, Sidney, Amanda, Jonathan, and a great-grandson, Jackson. When told about his great- grandson he sat up straight and announced, "I feel proud". He was a loving son, husband, father, grandfather and friend.

A memorial service will be Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 1:00pm at St Thomas Episcopal Church, 2201 Dexter St., Denver, CO 80207 with a reception to follow.

Please add your own favorite pictures of Charles and any notes to the family in the guestbook . We would love to see and read them.

In lieu of flowers please donate to Charles' favorite charity, Locally Haiti or call them at 303-938-5021.