Charles G. Westra, 83, of Camp Hill, PA, passed away on Monday, June 26, 2023, after a brief illness.
Chuck, the son of the late George and Isabelle (Brady) Westra, grew up in Clifton, NJ and
graduated from Clifton High School in 1957. After high school, he entered the Army, trained at
Fort Dix, NJ and spent time in Korea. His career included an amazing variety of jobs early on
including working for a bank, a cosmetic company, owning a lawn business and even selling
water softeners after hours to make ends meet. His computer programming career took off
when he moved the family to Pennsylvania eventually working for Rite Aid Corporation. He
would often say he worked on "The Big Iron" when referring to the 1970's massive computers
in their temperature controlled rooms.
He is survived by his son, Dr. Kevin Westra of Camp Hill, daughters Betsey Smith of Mechanicsburg and Lynelle Westra of Titusville, FL as well as seven grandchildren, Gregory, Brody, Garrett, Paige, Riley, Caleb and Grace.
In addition to his parents, he is predeceased by his wife, Linda, the love of his life, as well as three sisters.
As a boy, Chuck spent his time at his family's summer home in Lake Hopatcong, NJ learning to
boat and fish. A hamburger ALL THE WAY with mustard, chopped onion and World Famous
chili sauce from The Hot Grill in Clifton was such a favorite of his that he once spent weeks
trying to re-create the chili sauce at home from scratch. Hunting was also a pastime, but he
truly loved surf fishing along the Jersey shore. While we never caught many fish, we always
had hours and hours of great conversation and fun on those beaches.
Linda and Chuck grew up neighbors, fell in love and were inseparable until Linda's passing two
years ago. As teenagers, they wanted to get jobs but both realized they lacked required social
security numbers. Applying together at the social security office resulted in their consecutive
social security numbers coupling mom and dad together forever.
Chuck enjoyed golfing, the New York Football Giants and barbershop quartet singing, often
singing his own rendition of "Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" to his daughter, Lynelle. He was
proud of his NRA membership. He was well known for spitting out the most clever and
perfectly timed one-liners during conversation with family.
As a husband, as dad or as Pop Pop he showed us, by example, how to unconditionally love and take care of family.
Please join the Westra family on Sunday, July 9, 2023, at West Shore Country Club, 100 Brentwater Road, Camp Hill, PA 17011 from 1-3 pm to tell stories about Chuck and celebrate his life.
In lieu of flowers, charitable contributions can be made to the Alzheimer's Association in Linda's honor.