Xavier “Charlie” Chavez
September 22, 1936 – November 22, 2013
Xavier Chavez, 77, passed away peacefully in Bellevue, WA on November 22, 2013. Born in 1936 in Mexico, his family immigrated to the United States settling in EI Paso, TX, where Xavier became an American citizen at the age of 12. He later married and had two children: Xavier, Jr. and Rita. He earned a civil engineering degree from UTEP and served in the US Army, where he earned his lifetime nickname “Charlie” because most of the young GI’s could not pronounce Xavier. When his first marriage ended, and his time in the army over, he started a career with the US government. The government work took him to Germany, where he met and married Connie Sue McConnell, an American teacher on her own adventure. Connie and Charlie had three daughters, Elisa, Cris, and Angie, and were married for nearly forty years until her death in 2003. While attending a bereavement support group, he met Deena whom he married in 2007 and shared the remaining years of his life.
In 1989, Charlie opened CAD Connection enjoying the freedom entrepreneurship allowed, finally retiring in 2012.
The final years of Charlie’s life were devoted to volunteerism and service through Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, and What’s Next. Some of the ways Charlie made a difference in his community include: serving food for KITH, selling Kiwanis Christmas trees, packing boxes for our troops and his connections helped Helen Keller Elementary start their Backpack for Hunger program, feeding nearly 40 children a week during the school year. As a lifetime bowler (with a wicked curve) Charlie’s favorite volunteer activity was working with What’s Next where he organized tournaments and coached players with disabilities. He also contributed many a strike to the Kiwanis X-Men bowling team, comrades who were his greatest friends. Xavier “Charlie” Chavez is survived by his wife Deena, three surviving brothers, five children, nine surviving grandchildren countless nieces, nephews, friends, and colleagues who loved him and perhaps a couple of people who didn’t. Charlie was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, uncle, community member, entrepreneur, parishioner and friend. He will be greatly missed.
A Rosary will be said in Charlie’s honor at Holy Family Parish of Kirkland on Friday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m. An Open House to celebrate Charlie’s life will be held Saturday, December 7 from Noon-6:00 at Charlie and Deena’s Bellevue home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests an act of service to your community in Charlie’s honor so as to perpetuate his legacy of volunteerism or a gift to Children’s Hospital of Seattle.
