Charles Preston "Chuck" Kern

Charles Preston Kern died on the afternoon of January 25, 2016, at his home in Missoula. He was 89. He was “Chuck” to his friends and “Papa” to his family.

Chuck Kern was born on June 7, 1926, in Missoula, MT, to Clare P. and Eva H. Kern, a third generation Missoulian. He had one brother, Bob, of Bozeman, MT, who died on May 11, 2016. Chuck’s paternal grandfather, Frank Kern, arrived in Missoula in 1878 from Germantown, Ohio. His maternal grandfather, Charlie Hart, settled in Bonner in 1880. Chuck’s father, Clare, a life-long member of the Missoula Fire Department, earned the nickname, “Clang Clang”, as a teenager because he routinely showed up whenever the fire bells rang. He served as Missoula’s fire chief from 1947 through his retirement in 1959.

Chuck attended Paxon Elementary School and Missoula County High School where he was photographer for the school paper and yearbook. He graduated in 1944 and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp, serving as an airplane mechanic and helping dismantle the installations on Guam following the end of the World War II in the Pacific.

In 1946, he entered the School of Forestry at the University of Montana, working on summer crews in Superior and St. Regis. He graduated in 1950 and spent the next 32 years with the U.S. Forest Service in western Montana and northern Idaho.

In 1950, Chuck married Jody Thomas of Fort Benton. They had two children before her death in 1955. In 1958, he married Ruth Benedict in Missoula, and they moved to Rexford, MT, to begin work as district ranger and to blend a family of now five children. He loved all aspects of managing a ranger district, especially fighting fire. Camping, water skiing, hunting, boating were among the gifts he gave his children.

Chuck worked as district ranger in Moscow, ID, and as Timber and Fire Staff on the Gallatin National Forest in Bozeman. In 1970, he became the Fire Coordinator for Region 1 of the USFS, managing the Ariel Fire Depot in Missoula. He retired in 1982.

Chuck and Ruth traveled extensively in their motorhome, spending winters in Queen Valley, AZ, and summers on Flathead Lake near Polson. They loved square-dancing and being with friends from all over the country. They were married 56 years, the last 11 of which were spent in St. Louis, MO. Following Ruth’s death, Chuck moved back to Missoula.

Chuck loved fixit and remodeling projects. He was one of the first of his generation to master a computer, using it to stream his beloved Grizzly football games in St. Louis. He loved to tease his grandchildren and loved it more when they teased him back. He knew how to work hard and play well. He was an honest and decent fellow, a straight-shooter, and he could be counted upon.

Chuck is survived by his children, Steve Benedict (Donna) of Westfield, IN; Cindy Kelly (Doug) of St. Louis, MO; Tom Kern (Lucy) of Kalispell; Dave Benedict (Martha) of Bemidji, MN; and Rick Kern of Missoula; 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held Wed., July 6, 2016 at 10:00 am at Lakeview Cemetery in Polson with full military honors.