WINTHROP, MAINE
Charles Edward Daley, 83, died peacefully at his home on Cobboseecontee Lake on March 7, 2017 with his wife and children at his side. Born October 2, 1933 in Gardner, ME, Charlie was the oldest son of the late F. Edward Daley and Barbara (Brown) Daley.
Charlie grew up in Randolph with his mother and brother and attended the Randolph Grammar School. He attended Mount Herman, Cony High School, and Gould Academy, where he graduated in 1951. After high school, he attended Illinois Institute of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1955. Upon completing college, Charlie joined the Navy as an officer and served honorably from 1955 to 1958 as a Communications and Operations officer on the USS Fort Marion (LSD-22) with home port out of San Diego, CA. In 1957, he participated in a nine-month deployment that involved servicing ships on mine sweeping operations at several ports in the Western Pacific.
After completing his service in the navy, Charlie returned home to Gardner and soon met and married Marjorie Ferland. Charlie and Marge settled in Augusta, where they raised their three children and established deep roots in the community. In 1958, Charlie was hired as a loan officer for the August Savings & Loan on Western Avenue in Augusta. In his capacity at the bank, Charlie learned the ins and outs of working with families and took great pride and satisfaction in assisting young families getting mortgages for what was usually their first home. In 1966, Charlie was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer of what was later to become the Augusta Federal Savings Bank. He led the bank through good times and challenging times, successfully navigating the bank through the Savings & Loan crisis in the 1980's. He retired from banking in 1993.
Charlie was a kind and generous family man who most enjoyed spending quiet time at home with his wife, children, grandchildren, and close friends. He took great interest in his children's school activities and was a good math teacher. He enjoyed snowmobiling and skiing, photography, reading books about history and the navy, and watching the Red Sox and Patriots. After his retirement, Charlie and Marge traveled with close friends Peggy and Dick to France, an adventure that he recounted frequently over the years. Charlie and Marge were long time members of the Augusta Country Club, where he served on the board of directors and where he and Marge enjoyed playing golf and sharing wonderful times while forming life long memories with friends. Charlie was a man of deep faith and a member of St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church. He will be missed by his family and friends.
Charlie is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marjorie Daley of Winthrop; three children: Michael Daley and his children Joel and Molly Daley, Mary Daley and her children Evan and Aaron Lovely, and Stephen Daley. He is also survived by Martha Daley, wife of predeceased brother William; his sister Pat and husband Moe Courchesne of Bonita Springs, FL; his sister Wendy and husband Joe Dodd of Cambridge, MA; and his brother Tony and wife Nancy Gallagher of Takoma Park, MD; cousins Joanne Daley Clark of Gardner, Andrea Shirley of Waltham, MA, Peter Gardner of Boothbay, John Cronkite of Palo Alto, CA, Martha Danforth Allen of Pittston, Margaret Danforth Naas of Gardner; and several nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 AM on Saturday, March 18th at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, 41 Western Avenue, Augusta. A private graveside service will be held at St. Mary Cemetery in Manchester later in the spring.
Our family offers a special thank you to the doctors, nurses and hospice staff at MaineGeneral Medical Center for taking care of Charlie and thoughtfully guiding the family through the last months of his life.
Those who desire may make donations in Charlie’s memory to: Harold Alfond Cancer Center, c/o MaineGeneral Health, Office of Philanthropy, PO Box 828, Waterville, ME, 04903-0828.