Charles Fisher Rohleder

Charles Fisher Rohleder—a man of the world.

He was born as a Gemini, the twin sign. “People born on this day are often seen as versatile and social, often enjoying intellectual stimulation and connecting with others through conversation and new experiences.” This was our dad, husband, grandfather, father -in-law and friend in a nutshell.

He was known by many names: Charlie, Charles, Dad, Daaaaaddddduh, Pop, and Grandpa. And no, despite persistent suspicions, he was not in the CIA.

Even though he was kicked out of Taiwan during the riots following President Carter’s recognition of China. Even though he stood in Tiananmen Square just weeks after the protests. Even though he lived down the street from the towers bombed in Al Khobar. Even though he worked near the Yalu River, a stone’s throw from North Korea.

No—Charles was not CIA. He was a boiler man.

Charles spent his career as a startup engineer for power plants, traveling the world bringing massive systems to life. He happily moved from country to country with his beloved wife, Christine (“Chris”/”Guus””Huuussh”), and their daughters, #1 Britta (Frog) and #2 Belinda (toad). His mother often asked, “Why can’t you put down roots?” But Charles’ roots were his family—and wherever his next mission took him.

Charles grew up in the small towns of Belleville and Nutley, New Jersey, raised by his parents Charles Frank Rohleder and Edith Harriet Fisher Rohleder, both chemists who instilled in him kindness and curiosity. He and his sister, Kathryn Ann Rohleder Oetting, spent childhood afternoons listening to Hop Harrigan radio shows and reenacting them loudly in the backyard—much to their mother’s dismay. The neighbors would hear. “Swine hunt!! “ meaning pig dog in German. Edith would run out and tell them to hush up.

His mom Edith was an amazing cook and Charlie would try anything once. They had a cherry tree in the back yard where they picked cherries for their mom to make pies. Summers were spent in Asbury Park and Hastings on the Hudson, surrounded by cousins who quite literally looked up to him—at 6’4”, he was impossible to miss.

As a teenager, Charles once bought a car just to take it apart and see how it worked. Though a few bolts were left over at the end, the car ran just fine. He spent summers picking scallions in the fields and unloading flour sacks from train cars, developing the strong work ethic that would define his life.

Charles attended Lehigh University, joined a fraternity, and was once voted Most Surly Waiter by his fraternity brothers—not because he disliked people, but because if you needed a lemon for your iced tea, you were simply going to have to wait until he got around to it. Though he earned excellent grades, Charles deliberately skipped assignments to avoid appearing “too smart,” proudly lowering his GPA to a C.

After college, he began his engineering career at Babcock & Wilcox, working in India and Turkey, where he developed a love for adventurous food and exploration. As a reward for those assignments, he was sent to Spain. There, at the Old Dutch Bar, he met Christine, who was working as a barmaid. They fell in love and married in Gibraltar, since non-Catholics could not wed in Spain at the time. For years they joked that they still weren’t entirely sure if the marriage was legal. After a small ceremony attended by Chris’s parents, Nico and Anna Kos, they ran through the streets searching for a wedding photographer.

After living briefly in Bilbao, Spain, they returned to the United States and soon welcomed their daughters—#1 Britta followed 23 months later by #2 Belinda.

With his family in tow, Charles relocated every few years, living in New Jersey, Indiana, Washington State, Taiwan, Minnesota, Georgia, Saudi Arabia, and Florida, while his work also took him to countries such as the Dominican Republic and China. He retired after decades of dedication to a craft he loved deeply.

In his youth, Charles achieved Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts, he was an avid camper, and a lifelong outdoorsman. He loved hiking alone to see what lay beyond the next ridge, bush, or stream. He taught his daughters to camp, carrying forward the values of Scouting throughout his life. He was very proud of his Eagle Scout achievement. His parents let him pursue his dream of going out west on a scout trip in his teenage years. He loved being outdoors and achieved a myriad of badges in Boy Scouts.

A builder in every sense of the word, Charles built bookcases, tables, additions to homes, pump houses, greenhouses, barns, decks, roofs, ponds, gardens, irrigation systems, and a full Lionel train layout complete with switches, bridges, churches, and towns. He refinished furniture, brewed beer and wine (even smuggling yeast into Saudi Arabia), carved nameplates for family members, planted trees, rewired lights, and fixed nearly anything that could be fixed. If he didn’t know how to do something, he read about it, figured it out, and then showed others—either by teaching or simply by example.

He was also an avid Gardner. He once challenged his Minnesota neighbor to a tilling dual. He said he could hand turn his entire garden by the time Paul Breen could rototill his. They ended within a minute of each other.

Charles was also a devoted nature lover, able to identify birds by sight and sound, and deeply curious about plants and animals. He learned how to scuba dive in Saudi Arabia with #2 Belinda. While #1, Britta was away at boarding school in Austria. He made is own wine when we lived in Saudi, by smuggling in yeast in our suitcases. He frequently stepped down to a Mud, a beer of his own making as well.

He loved amusement parks, riding rides with his daughters and later returning with his grandchildren.

He loved a good joke and anyone that had a sense of humor. His own being very dry and hilarious. Our dad was easy to spot in any crowd by his particular long gait and tall stature, all we had to do was look up follow the long, familiar stride.

It is impossible to list all of Charles F. Rohleder’s accomplishments. He was a man of many talents, passions, and quiet kindnesses.

He was deeply loved by his wife of 58 years, Christine A. Rohleder; his daughters Britta Strickland (Ron Strickland, deceased) and Belinda Grant (Jim Grant); and his grandchildren Adriana Grant and Jimmie Grant. He will be missed far more than he ever realized.

Dad, your legacy is you. It is everything you accomplished, showed us how to accomplish, and how to be a good parent, and most of all how to live a full life. How to show kindness to others, joy in the small and large things. You had a full and wonderful life and we thank you for all the lessons, love and adventure you have showed us. We are forever grateful.

To share your memories of Charles or to leave a special message for his family online please visit the guestbook below.