Charles "Chuck" William Chesney Jr.

Charles William Chesney, Jr.

March 18, 1944 – January 7, 2026

Chuck, as he was known to family and friends, passed away peacefully on the morning of January 7, 2026, at his Preston home, as he wished with his love Patty at his side.

Chuck was born on March 18, 1944, in Oakland, California to Charles W., Sr. and Elva June Taylor Chesney. He grew up in Castro Valley, California along with his younger brother, Larry. He graduated from Castro Valley High School in 1961.

Chuck proudly enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in February of 1963 and trained at Camp Pendleton, CA. He served fourteen months combat in Viet Nam with his beloved platoon from 1965 – 1966. All these years later, they are still in close contact and attend reunions when age and health permit.

After discharge from the Marines, Chuck enrolled in and graduated from University of California Berkeley earning B.A. and M.B.A. 1974. During this time, he met and married Susan Sirgo, they later divorced but was blessed with his son Stephen.

He continued to support his “Golden Bears” Football Team with season tickets – every year hoping for a trip to the Rose Bowl – ah, well. He was always happy when he could share his tickets – even for several years after we moved from California.

After college, he was recruited by Trans World Airlines holding various positions in management & sales and which afforded him the opportunity to “see the world”. When TWA “was no more” he continued working in the airline industry with companies such as Air Cal and USAir. He also had experience in sales with over-the-road trucking companies which he said was pretty much the same as airlines, but without the wings.

In late 1987, after many years being single, he met his “forever” love, Patty Sharpe and after a brief 1 month courtship, convinced her to make it a lifetime job! They married in March 1988 and were fortunate to turn that lifetime into almost 39 years. And in March of each year they celebrated not only their anniversary, but their shared Birthday of March 18 – Chuck was always older, so he got a bigger piece of cake! One of his favorite travel memories was being able to take Patty and his mother-in-law, Helen, to Europe in 1989 for two weeks. He was a great tour guide !! He knew stuff!

In 2004, the miracle of corporate downsizing allowed both Chuck and Patty to retire early and make an already-planned move to their “last” address in Preston, Idaho. They moved into their newly built home in May of 2006.

It didn’t take Chuck long to adapt to small town living and he set about learning all he could about his new hometown – taking interest in city and county governments, eventually running for City Council, serving on the City Planning & Zoning Commission, reporting on city council and county commission meetings, then writing columns on each for the Preston Citizen, as well as making it a point to visit the businesses and people about town, all the while making friends as he went. All of this stemmed from a genuine love of his community and wanting the best for it and its citizens. He truly cherished the many friendships he made in Preston & Franklin County – to Chuck you all became friends. He often said he had only one regret in moving to Preston: that he hadn’t done it sooner.

Chuck had a keen intellect, sharp wit and a desire to learn as much as he could about most everything – Patty could never figure out where in his head he stored all the “stuff” he knew, but it might just be in the garage!

Chuck was a kind man with a wonderful sense of humor and quick wit – and an intelligence that baffled most. He was generous in all areas of his life – friendships, financial, knowledge, his hobby of model ship building, of travel tips (he had been to 41 countries after all), and of course and most important, his opinions! He built beautiful model clipper ships – many of which reside in homes and offices in Preston.

A very, very special note of gratitude goes out to Dr. Lance Hansen and the staff at Franklin County Medical Clinic and Hospital – from the nurses, cnas, admin. (you all know who you are) you have Chuck’s and Patty ‘s love and heartfelt thanks for the care and friendship in the past and on this, his final journey.

Survived by his loving wife, Patty

Son Stephen C. Chesney of California

Granddaughters, Marian & Etta

Brother Larry Chesney of Reno, NV

Preceded in death by:

Parents, Charles & June Chesney, Castro Valley, CA

Parents In-law, Roland & Helen Sharpe, Bountiful, UT

As well and the many “out-law” members of

Patty’s clan he thought of as his – you know who you are!!

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:

Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org)

Franklin County Healthcare Foundation (FCMC.org/foundation)

Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at Webb Funeral Home, 1005 S. 800 E. Preston, Idaho. Visitations will be held on Tuesday from 6-8 pm and again Wednesday prior to the service from 12-12:45 pm at the funeral home. Family burial will be at a later date in the Wellsville City Cemetery, Wellsville, Utah. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at webbmortuary.com

Services will be streamed live and can be viewed on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 1:00 pm (MST) and can be viewed by clicking on the following link:

https://youtube.com/live/zHc_BizUJes?feature=share