August 3, 1935 – January 30, 2023
Charles “Chuck” Eugene Warren passed away peacefully on January 30, 2023 after a five-year battle with dementia. Born in Peoria, Illinois on August 3, 1935, he was raised in Iowa City and graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering. He was a lifelong diehard Hawkeye fan. He worked for 35 years at Proctor & Gamble, a job that took him from Iowa, to Cincinnati, Ohio and finally to Overland Park, where he lived for the last 54 years of his life.
In 1957, he met the love of his life, Carolyn “Butch” Wagner. They have been happily married for 52 years. Together they had 6 children: 3 boys and 3 girls. At the time of her death, she had 18 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and a 21st on the way. The family has always been his priority. Chuck was also a lifelong Catholic and a member of the Holy Ghost Catholic Church at the time of Chuck’s death.
Chuck was a great athlete, playing three sports in high school: basketball, football and baseball. He was a runner and later in his life he took up cycling. He could often be seen riding the trails around Indian Creek in his 80s. He loved his hometown Royals, Chiefs and the Jayhawk basketball team. Chuck also loved fishing and boating. For many years he had a home on the Lake of the Ozarks where he taught his children, grandchildren and even his great-grandchildren how to fish.
Chuck was very smart, funny, and a constant student. He was an excellent photographer, carpenter and a voracious reader. Chuck embodied the concept of FOMA. He had tons of energy and never wanted to be left out of anything. He was strong and tough and stubborn, but inside he was a cuddly teddy bear.
Chuck loved to travel and he and Butch visited Europe, Alaska, Hawaii and most of the fifty states. They made lifelong friends wherever they went. Sadly, shortly after retiring, Butch was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. He cared for her lovingly for many years in the house and when this became too difficult, he visited her every day until his death in 2010. Dad also found love and companionship later in life, marrying Sarah Kastner when he was 77 years old.
Chuck was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Dot Warren, both his wives, his son, Andy, and his granddaughter, Alexis. He is survived by his children, Christy Peterson (Randal), Marty Warren, Susan Pena (Ralph), Patrick Warren (Kellie) and Mike Warren, as well as his many grandchildren and their wives, and his great-grandchildren.
The Rosary will be said at 2:00 p.m. with visitation from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday, February 5 at Porter Funeral Home, 8535 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS. Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, February 6 at 10:30 am at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park, KS. A lunch in the church will follow. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 pm at St. John’s Cemetery in Lenexa, KS. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.
