We are a very wealthy family and Charley was one of those who helped to make us so rich. Not in money but in important things, like a strong sense of family, of where we came from, of decency, intelligence, community involvement, constancy and great humor. His knowledge of family history was phenomenal. He had that charming streak of stubborness common to Gruner men and made it work for something positive, like keeping the reunion going and doing his part to make a marriage successful for 58 years. At the celebration of life service for him today, it was deeply moving to see how many people genuinely cared about him and respected him. The church was packed with family and friends. I'm glad he's not in pain any more but I sure wish we could have had him here with us a bit longer. He leaves a big hole and everyone who knew him will miss him.

Sylvia G-23-112

For me, Charley was always much more than part of a group picture or a listing of the attendees at the annual Gruner reunions. He became special as that cute little kid that moved with his parents Claire and Wilma to their recently purchased farm next to ours near Coldwater, Michigan in 1936.

Charley attended the Centennial rural school and was in a class with my sister Mary Jo in the spring of 1936. We moved to Battle Creek that fall, but continued to stay in contact with Charley and his family throughout his lifetime. We were happy to hear he graduated from Michigan State, even more when we heard that in 1952 he had been selected for the International Farm Youth Exchange and spent the summer in Ireland. We were devastated when we heard he had contracted polio in those dark days before the Salk vaccine. We were not surprised as we learned how he had overcome most of the paralysis and had gone on to become a community leader. We were delighted when he married Wilma Jean Fillmore. They were always the two-some that one thinks of as the “ideal couple.”

For a few years in the sixties and seventies, there was not much contact with Charley. The older family members were passing on, and interest in family reunions was fading until they stopped entirely. Then in 1976, family reunions became Bicentennial projects. Charley and Wilma headed a “gathering of the clan” for that year. I helped by updating a family chart that eventually became the basis for a book, “The Gruner Heritage,” that was published and presented to the family in 1983.

Family reunions were resumed as an every five year event, and Charley served as president for many years. As technology advanced, he learned to use the computer and the Internet, staying in close contact with his many Gruner relatives now scattered over many parts of the country.

I may not have known Charley nearly as well as some others have, but I certainly can say that I knew him for a very long time.


Marian G-75-42