- Date Of Birth: February 7, 1933
- Date Of Death: January 19, 2008
- State: Iowa
Charles (Chuck) E. Gifford (74) lost his courageous battle with cancer on Saturday, January 19, 2008, at Taylor House Hospice in Des Moines. Left to honor his memory are his son, Scott (Diana); two grandsons, Matthew (April) and Marcus (Stacey Vonk); four great-grandchildren, Kaitlynn, Alex, Desirae and Kallen, all of Newton; and his loving wife, Linda (Laudick) of Des Moines. Two brothers-in-law, Ron Smith and Roger Owens of Des Moines; two cousins, Catherine Hoffman (Gene) of Des Moines and Marilyn Norris (Bob) of Boone; his secretary and long-time friend, Colleen Jones; his faithful dog, Rebel; and many, many friends will sadly miss him. Predeceasing Chuck were his parents, Charles (Gifford) Hermance and Edna Clark (Gifford) Hermance, his brother, Dale Clark Gifford, and an infant daughter, Deborah Denise Gifford of spina bifida. Chuck was born on February 7, 1933, attending school in Mingo, Iowa. In 1951, he began employment with the Maytag Company in Newton and was very active in UAW Local Union 997. After serving in many positions in the local union, in 1969 he was elected as President and in 1975 was appointed as an International Representative in the UAW National Community Action Program. He served as UAW Region 4 CAP Coordinator for Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota; President of the Iowa CAP Council; and Director of the UAW Sub-Regional Office in Des Moines until his retirement in 1995. Under Chuck’s guidance, the UAW Legislative Program was designed to strengthen security in the workplace. He recognized the need to pursue public policy goals, which insured social justice for the total community. Chuck was very compassionate about all those less fortunate – the little people who have had their rights championed by his tireless efforts.
