Jan. 2, 2021 — 

FILIPOWICZ—Charles William Filipowicz, 91, passed away peacefully at his home in Portland, Ore., due to complications from COVID-19.

He leaves behind son Stephen and his wife Sharon; son John and his wife Stephanie; daughter Christina and her husband Laurence Collings; daughter Regina; two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, as well as many friends in Florence and Portland, Ore.

He resided at Whitewood Gardens residential care facility for the past six months and The Courtyard at Mount Tabor independent & assisted living facilities for the previous 5 years, both in Portland.

Charles “Charlie” Filipowicz was born on June 15, 1929, in Bellows Falls, Vermont, to John and Helen Filipowicz, née Koronkiewicz. He was number 10 of 11 children in the Filipowicz household, spending his first three years in Bellows Falls before the family moved to Manchester, New Hampshire.

At 17, with his father’s permission, Charlie enlisted in the United States Navy and entered service during the last year of World War II.

After being honorably discharged, he moved back to Manchester, where he met the love of his life, Barbara Jean Anderson, on a blind date in 1950. They married in September 1952 and moved to Southern California in January 1957, where they raised their four children.

He worked in the aerospace industry as a production control manager and retired in 1991. Charlie and Barbara then moved to the small coastal town of Florence, Ore., where they enjoyed a beautiful life for the next 22 years.

Charlie was a quiet man — a man of faith who loved his family & church fiercely. He had a great sense of humor, loved music and especially loved to sing. He was a choir member at St. Mary’s Our Lady of the Dunes in Florence and at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Portland. Charlie passed on that love of music to his children and grandchildren, who are passing it on to his great-grandchildren.

Charlie will be interred beside his beloved Barbara Jean on Jan. 8, 2021, at Willamette National Cemetery.

A Memorial Service of Resurrection will be held at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, followed by military honors at Willamette National Cemetery, date and time to be determined.