Charles Henry Saunders

Charles Henry Saunders Feb 11 1931 — Aug 13 2019

Charlie was born in Englehart Ontario and was part of a large family. Parents William and Florence, six brothers and one sister. In his early twenties Charlie made his way to Prince Rupert to work on his brothers fishing boat, but with his exceptional mechanical skills he ended up working on many of the boats as an engineer. Charlie then started a career with BC Hydro, and soon became the Supervisor overseeing the construction division which had him travelling throughout the province managing Hydro plants and other assets the company wanted built. During this time Charlie met his first wife Jeanette and together they settled in Chemainus and raised five children. They also owned and operated Jeanette’s 5 to $1.00 store in downtown Chemainus, and constructed commercial buildings in the Chemainus Industrial Park. Unfortunately, the travel demands of BC Hydro took its toll, and the marriage ended after 25 years. Charles met and married his second wife Jeannie, and after his retirement from BC Hydro, the two started SCS Steel Container Systems in Cassidy where he designed and manufactured various types of steel containers and roll off bins that were shipped world wide. Charlie donated a portion of his Nanaimo river property to the Bungie Zone and enjoyed watching the jumpers from his sundeck. Charlie saw many of his fellow retired Hydro coworkers head to Yuma for the winter and thought he should do the same, so he bought a piece of land in Yuma and got to work constructing a park model trailer from the ground up and transported it down with a semi truck. He and Jeannie enjoyed their Yuma winters until Jeannie’s passing. Charlie’s life took another turn when he sold SCS and met his partner Ann, he purchased a home on 5 acres in Mill Bay where he raised sheep and tinkered in his shop. He and Ann enjoyed traveling, working on the property and spending time with family, friends and his retired BC Hydro coworkers The Power Pioneers. Charlie belonged to many organizations, and gave both time and money to charities throughout the Island. Charlie will be remembered for the smile on his face, and the tall tales he would tell, some of which his grandchildren still believe are true. Charlie lived the last two years at Chartwell Malspina, and the family would like to extend their sincere appreciation for the care and compassion that was given to him, and the dignity shown in his last days. Charlie is predeceased by his first wife Jeanette, second wife Jeannie, and daughter Cheryl. He is survived by his partner Ann McClung, Children Margaret (David), Greg (Mary), Toni (Allan), and Rod (Amanda) and numerous grandchildren, and great grandchildren. :

A celebration of life will be held at the Aggie Hall in Ladysmith BC on Saturday September 21st from 1-5. Please, bring your memories and stories to share.

Dad had a love of all animals, and although he had difficulty getting all his children’s names straight, he could remember the name of every sheep, dog, cat that he had ever owned, so the family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the BC SPCA.