Charles S. Ferrell, 94, of Atascadero, died peacefully at home on March 25, 2021, with his daughter, Christine Allen, and son, Tom Ferrell, at his side. Charles was born on December 16, 1926, in Alhambra, California. Charles’ mother (Mabel W. Olson) passed away in 1934 of tuberculosis when Charles was 7, and his father (Thomas Jefferson Ferrell) died in 1940 of a cardiac event at the age of 55, when Charles was 14.
Charles completed High School while living with his older brother Cliff and his new wife, Maude Fifer. Charles’ life was forever changed while attending one year of UCLA, where he met Jesus Christ as his Savior while reading a Bible he was given. Charles moved to Oregon to attend Bible College. He met his future wife, Earline, at church during her senior year of high school. Charles was the President of the Southern Oregon Christian Endeavor and was the guest speaker at a youth event at the church. Charles and Earline dated for two years before marrying on August 19, 1951, in Medford, Oregon. They celebrated their 68th anniversary just two months prior to Earline’s passing on October 21, 2019.
Charles and Earline have three children, Laura Ferrell of Sparks, Nevada, Christine Allen of Santa Clara, CA, and Tom Ferrell of Atascadero. They have five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Charles and Earline resided in Eugene, Oregon, for the first 13 years of their marriage, where Charles worked for the US Postal Service. It was while living in Eugene that their three children were born. They moved their family to Santa Clara, California, in 1964, where they resided for the next 28 years. Charles worked for the Los Gatos Post office, eventually rising to the position of interim postmaster. He not only served in Los Gatos as the postmaster, but he also worked at several other post offices as an interim postmaster and chief problem solver. Charles enjoyed the challenge of reorganizing challenging operations and helping them return to efficiency. Charles was also very active at Los Gatos Christian Church as an elder and eventually served as the Chairman of the Board of Elders during some of that church’s most challenging days.
Charles and Earline moved to Atascadero in 1992, where they built a beautiful home in Templeton on 2 acres. With a blank slate, Charles applied himself to his passion for gardening and landscaping. He definitely had a green thumb and enjoyed the fruits of his labor, literally, from his fruit trees and gorgeous flower garden. Upon moving to Atascadero, Charles and Earline became active members at Atascadero Bible Church, where their son, Tom, served as senior pastor. Charles was a very popular adult Sunday School teacher for over 20 years, and he also served faithfully as the Atascadero Bible Church Hospital Chaplin for approximately 20 years as well.
There will be a celebration of Charles’ life on Saturday, April 24 at 1 pm at the outdoor worship venue of Atascadero Bible Church.
