Charles "Charlie" R. Schottel passed away on October 30, 2019, at University Care Center in Edwardsville, at the age of 94.  Charlie was the 4 ^th child of 10 children born to the late Henry Mathias Schottel and Eleanor Louisa (nee Marzolff) Schottel.  Having been born on July 4 ^th , he celebrated each year with a fireworks display.  Charlie enlisted in the Army at age 18 and served our country during WWII.  At the young age of 19, he landed on Omaha Beach in France shortly after the Normandy Invasion.  His unit was tasked with helping to rebuild bridges and roads destroyed during the battles. As the war progressed he served as Military Police guarding German soldiers.  It wasn't until 2014 that he returned with his family and revisited this area where he had been stationed during his time in France.

After returning to civilian life Charlie met the love of his life, Esther (nee Kissel) at the Casa Loma Ballroom in St. Louis, MO when he asked her to dance.  It didn't take them long to fall in love and they were married on September 18, 1948.  They had two children, Sheila Westhoff of Edwardsville and Bruce Schottel of Maryville. They had been happily married nearly 63 years at the time of Esther's sudden passing in September 2011.

Charlie had to drop out of high school to support his large family at age 16 but carried the desire to continue his schooling.   After starting his own family, he went back to school to acquire his GED in order to pursue Physics classes at Washington University.  His interests in physics led him to invent and patent a variable speed transmission for vehicles in the 1960s, years before that technology came to be implemented.  He had many other items he invented, some of which were used by his family in their everyday life.  Like a portable child's seat that would attach to the end of the picnic table, a set of tongs to remove pies from the oven without breaking the crust, and hand-made secret-lock wooden boxes.

Charlie's time and training in the service lead him to a life long career as a master carpenter.  It also instilled in him a desire to see the world.  The many family vacations they took together passed along this same hunger for travel to his children and grandchildren.  Adventures were many and there were generally stories to enhance the events; whether he was fixing an oil leak with bubble gum or inventing an 'under-the-hood crockpot' that would cook the family's dinner with heat from the engine while they drove for hours.  Charlie never outgrew his passion for travel and was still visiting Europe and taking cruises with his children and grandchildren at the age of 90.

Charlie always enjoyed sharing his life experiences with his family and friends whether he was helping his children to build their new homes from the ground up, helping a neighbor or family member to put a new roof on, assisting with tasks on his in-law's farm or rebuilding a classic car with his grandson.  If there was work to be done somewhere, Charlie was always willing to lend a hand.  When his youngest brother, Ralph, was confronted with Leukemia he stepped up to donate bone marrow and stem cells for Ralph's treatment even though he was over 70 years old.  He was raised Catholic and attended St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Collinsville but also attended his wife's church to be with his family.  He was not a member of St. John United Church of Christ but was an active participant with church projects and events.  Anyone who had an opportunity to visit with Charlie was soon captivated by one of his many stories about his life experiences.

He was a romantic at heart with a talent of writing poetry and music.  He has left us with hundreds of hand-written or hand-typed poems in the cards he gave for every occasion imaginable.  He loved his wife and family deeply.

In addition to his daughter Sheila and son Bruce, he is survived by three grandchildren; Grant Westhoff of Los Angeles, CA, Andrew Schottel of Troy, IL and Alyssa Schottel of Columbia, MO; more than 50 nieces and nephews and many friends.

In addition to Charlie's parents and wife, Esther, he was preceded in death by all of his 9 siblings; Henry, Eleanor Schuh, Aurea Baron, Patricia Finley, William, Arlene O'Keefe, Marie Ruck, Ralph, and Juanita Gray and his son-in-law Charles Westhoff.

Charlie's story is certainly a shining example of a life well-lived and those of us who were lucky enough to know him will miss him dearly.

There will be a visitation at Sunset Funeral Home in Edwardsville on Sunday, November 3, 2019, from 4-8 pm with the Funeral Service being held on Monday, November 4, 2019, at 10 am with graveside burial immediately following.

Memorials may be given to St. John United Church of Christ in Collinsville, IL where his wife Esther was a member and his children and grandchildren are currently.