Loving brother, father, grandfather and great-grandfather Charles “Chuck” L. Walling Jr. passed from this life on April 4, 2019. Chuck was preceded in death by his older sister Jean Marie Peoples (Walling), his wife Helen Walling and his granddaughter Maegan Walling. He is survived by his four sons, nine grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.
Chuck was born in Tulsa, Okla. on July 2, 1929, the second child of Charles and Gladys Walling. His family moved around over the next several years, finally settling in Inglewood, California in 1935. His younger sister, Mary Linda was born in 1938 and the family then settled in North Hollywood where Chuck met his future first wife and completed his early schooling, graduating from North Hollywood High School in 1947.
Chuck married for the first time in 1948 to his high school sweetheart. A short nine months later a son was born. The marriage struggled and finally ended in 1950. In 1951 with the Korean war in full swing Chuck joined the Navy and served on the U.S.S. Mount Baker, an ammunition supply ship, and for almost two years his ship supplied munitions to the fleet supporting the war in Korea.
After his separation from the Navy, Chuck was visiting the home of a close friend and former shipmate when he had the opportunity to meet his friend’s younger sister. Over time the relationship blossomed and they were married. At that time Chuck was attending college and studying engineering with the intention of joining his father’s growing industrial refrigeration business. His education eventually led to attending California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo.
Although his father’s business had become very successful, Chuck felt a different calling. One of his father’s business associates and sometime-partner, Chuck Chamberlin’s son Richard, had begun his career in acting by attending the Pasadena Playhouse. Chuck felt the same calling and joined his friend Richard in Pasadena, California to pursue an acting career. However, with the birth of his two middle sons and the associated economic stresses, the marriage fell apart. Chuck had to leave his dream of acting and return to the world of business, joining the company his father had previously started — and subsequently sold to a large eastern firm.
Chuck joined the company and, on his own merits, rose to a management position. It was during this time he met and married his third wife and mother of his youngest son. As his reputation within the industry grew, he was eventually hired away and, over time, he was offered many employment opportunities and with them advancement opened up to him. This eventually took him to Chicago and finally to New Jersey where he ended his professional career in business.
It was during the latter part of this time that Helen, his third wife, suffered a devastating and protracted life-ending illness. Upon her passing Chuck’s youngest son continued to live with him in New Jersey until he graduated from college and received his Bachelor’s Degree. It was at this same time Chuck’s employer, as a part of a reorganization, offered him early retirement. He took the offer and moved back to California where he could be of support for his aging mother.
This move also offered Chuck the opportunity to return to his first and real love, acting. Connecting with some of his earlier friends who had continued in the industry, he sought to try out his talents and acting skills to see if he could “make a go of it.” In the end, he managed to achieve success — capturing many recurring roles in various well-known television series and a long-running role on the day time soap opera ‘The Bold and the Beautiful.”
This all changed with the Northridge earthquake in 1994, which severely damaged the Woodland Hills apartment complex that Chuck and his mother lived in, starting a new chapter in his life. Leaving Southern California behind, Chuck and his mother moved to North Fork to be in the mountains where Chuck had spent many past family vacations, lalowing them to be near his oldest son’s family and grandchildren. His mother passed in 1996.
Over the years, Chuck became an active member of the North Fork community, developing many friendships. However, heath and age-related issues required Chuck to leave his home in the mountains and move to the California Veterans home in Fresno where he spent his last several years and where he was a resident there at the time of his passing.
Chuck’s life will be celebrated on Saturday, June 29 at 11 a.m at the North Fork Christian Center located at 57044 Road 225 in North Fork.
