Charles Stuelke

CHARLES R. STUELKE

Marion

Charles (Chuck) Reginald Stuelke of Marion, Iowa, passed away on July 3, 2018, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House in Hiawatha. He was born on May 20, 1929, in Nashua, Iowa, the son of Wendell Stuelke and Ruth Abbott Hentsch.

Services are at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories. Entombment with military rites will be in Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery. Friends may call at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday.

Charles graduated from Franklin High School in Cedar Rapids in 1947 and spent 11 years in the Air Force, ending his career as a staff sergeant. After his time in the service, Charles was a painting contractor in the Marion/Cedar Rapids area for many years, working on homes built by Hiawatha Lumber. In 1982, he and his wife, Mary, became the owner/operators of City Consignment in Cedar Rapids. Charles was a past master of Masonic Lodge 6 in Marion and Marion American Legion Post 298, and was Chuckles the Clown in the Jolly Jokers Shrine unit.

Charles loved social media, casinos and jokes/pranks. In the 1970s, he was a local celebrity, appearing on "Tell it to the Judge" multiple times. He substituted for Mombo the Clown at various events and had a cameo appearance in the movie "F.I.S.T." with Sylvester Stallone.

Charles is survived by his wife, Mary Norman Stuelke; their children, Linda Chandler of Iowa City, Steve (Sandy) Chandler of Melbourne, Fla., John (Lesia) Stuelke of Center Point, Lisa (Tony) Weber of Marion and Wendy (Larry Daniels) Parker of Cedar Rapids; 14 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were the light of his life.

He was preceded in death by his father, Wendell Stuelke; stepmother, Marie Stuelke; mother, Ruth Hentsch; stepfather, Martin Hentsch; sister, Carolyn Harris; brother, Doug Stuelke; and grandson, Jacob Stuelke.

In his memory, Chuck asks you to sing a song at the top of your lungs, tell a funny story, and laugh, laugh, laugh. Following his 89th birthday, his last Facebook post proclaimed "I have a perfect life."

Memorial donations may be given to Charles' family to be distributed to his favorite charities. Please leave a message or tribute to the Stuelke family on our web page, www.cedarmemorial.com, under Obituary.