Charles Orville Wooten

Charlie passed away peacefully on April 9, 2023, at the age of 92 years.  He was predeceased by his parents Orville L. and Lillian V. Wooten and his brothers-in-law Dick Sedar and Ron Miller.

Charlie is survived by his loving wife of 46 years Jean Elizabeth Wooten and his daughter Lee Margaret (Mark) Koenigs, his grandchildren Cady (Patrick), Kelsey (Tyler) and Cristian, his little sister Virginia L. Sedar and her children David Sedar, Rebecca Sedar-McPherson (Clark) and Lynn Sedar-Ayres (Andy).  He is also survived by his Canadian family sister-in-law Helen Miller and her children Brian (Sharon) Miller, Kim (Tony) Mrak, Kevin (Darlene) Miller and Robin (Shelly Ackland) Miller as well as numerous great and great great nieces and nephews.

Charlie was born Aug 9, 1930, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He graduated from Mount Vernon High school in Illinois and attended the University of Oklahoma to study Geology.  In 1951 Charlie joined the United States Air Force and received an Honorable discharge in 1955. Charlie moved to Edmonton, Alberta to work for his father’s company to get experience in the Oil and Gas industry.  He held several different positions during his career including Sales and Service, Marketing and Management. In 1962 Charlie obtained his Canadian pilots license and purchased a plane and travelled to remote Oil rigs in Western Canada.

Charlie Semi-retired in 1995 and with Jean started building their dream home on Kruger Mountain near Osoyoos. They lived there until 2008 when they moved to Osoyoos.

Charlie thrived on knowledge and loved to read and watch documentaries. He was an outdoorsman and loved to fish and hunt at his dad's lodge in Northern British Columbia.  You could always find him puttering in his workshop or in the garden. He also loved boating, photography and sports and often watched footage of his nephew David on the rodeo circuit. His greatest passion was flying, and you never knew which small airport he would show up at.

Charlie also loved to cook, and we enjoyed many southern dishes with him. 

He was also a gifted carpenter, and his home was full of handmade furniture and his famous birdhouses.

He taught Lee Margaret how to recognize a well-made pair of cowboy boots and to make delicious Salmon patties. 

Charlie and Jean loved having company over and sitting by the fire sharing stories. Sadly in 2016 Jean started her journey with Dementia and had to move to a home for additional care.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to Shelly Ackland for spending so much time with Charlie the last several years.  Thank you to Dr. Tarr, the staff at Helping Hands, Oliver Hospital and the Dr. Andrews Pavillion in Summerland.

As per Charlies wishes there will be no funeral service. In lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.