Mueller, Charles William

Charles William Mueller, 70, of Iowa City, passed away Thursday, Oct. 9, 2013, at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. On Saturday, Oct. 12, a greeting time will begin at noon; the Celebration of Life will start at 2 p.m., followed by a reception, all at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service of Iowa City.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Iowa City Shelter House, University of Iowa Department of Sociology or the University of Iowa Foundation Hawkeye Fund.

Charles was born Dec. 3, 1942, in Kansas City, Kan., to Charles and Gertrude Mueller. In 1961, Chuck graduated from Dallas Center Community High School. Following graduation, Charles attended Iowa State University, where he received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in sociology. Chuck continued his education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he received his Ph.D. in sociology.

On June 3, 1942, Chuck married Anna Mary Keller in Dallas Center, Iowa. Chuck was a sociology professor at the University of Iowa for 32 years before retiring in 2004. In his 32-year career he published well over 60 articles and seven books in major national and international outlets. His latest publication was in 2011, seven years after his retirement. His work continues to be cited among the foundational contributions to social science research methodology and the study of workplace inequality. He served the larger scholarly community on the editorial boards of the American Sociological Review, Work and Occupations, and the American Journal of Sociology. He served the department for well over 10 years as director of Graduate Studies, numerous years on the Budget and Academic Status Committee in the Department of Sociology, and on numerous university committees. But his greatest enduring legacy at Iowa are the dozens of graduate students whose theses he supervised and mentored, and the hundreds of students who benefited from his guidance and wisdom in class and outside of it.

Chuck was a fan of all Hawkeye sports and the St. Louis Cardinals. In his free time, Chuck enjoyed traveling, reading and the fine arts. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.

Charles is survived by his wife; his twin daughters, Rachel Mueller of Woodbury, Minn., and Elizabeth (Nick) Larson of Center Point; three grandchildren, Abe Larson, Eli Larson and Isaac Larson; and his twin sister, Vicki (James) Collart of Lincoln, Calif.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Online condolences may be sent at www.lensingfuneral.com.

Published Oct. 11, 2013 in The Gazette