- Date Of Birth: August 20, 1969
- Date Of Death: November 20, 2015
- State: Idaho
Charles Hamilton Leader, 46, of Caldwell, Idaho went to be with his Lord on Friday, November 20, 2015 at a local hospital.
Charles was born August 20, 1969 in Norwalk, California to his biological mother, Martha Marie Leader. He was raised by his maternal grandparents, Joan and Charles “Chuck” aka “Blue” Leader whom he called his parents. He attended school in southern California including St. Paul High School and Whittier College. As a boy he proudly helped his father with the company business, J & B Trucking including early morning Saturday deliveries with Dad, and driving the “yard dog” around the trucking yard. In college he was part of a ham radio club that supported the Unified California School District.
After moving to Boise, Idaho in 1994 for employment at St. Lukes Regional Medical Center, during his off-work hours, he ran scoreboard at some Boise State games as well as some Hawks games. Because of his love for children, he quickly became involved in volunteer activities. Some of these included the Children’s Miracle Network, Scramble for the Kids, and Kid for A Night. During this time he met and married his true love, Carolyn.
Although Charles may have seemed to be a quiet person, another side of Charles was seen in his passion for music. He enjoyed being the entertainer, which was the inspiration for his e-mail domain, “The Court Jester”. He played bass in several local bands including Code Blue, a good-time 50’s band, and Hard Right, a Christian band.
In their spare time, Charles and Carolyn enjoyed traveling, camping, a scuba diving trip to the Florida Keys and time with family.
His love for animals was evidenced by his volunteering at the World Center Birds of Prey, and some of the pets he owned over the years including a macaw, several parrots, and an Indian Ring-Neck parakeet. Other pets included Cozy, a Samoyed and Kirby, and an ever-spinning Papillon. He invited cats, especially black cats, into his heart and home.
Charles and Carolyn traveled to China in 2007 to bring their daughter, Elizabeth Lian, home to Boise on July 4th, 2007, 20 days before her first birthday. She quickly proved herself to be Daddy’s girl! He fondly played silly games with her. Some she outgrew, but the “ticker finger” giggling game endured. Elizabeth and Charles enjoyed playing chess (sometimes she won), riding the Segways and ATV trips around the farm after the move to Caldwell. There were generally squeals of laughter (from Elizabeth) as they entered the yard.
Charles was preceded in death by his parents, Joan and Chuck Leader; his biological mother, Martha Marie Leader; and a maternal uncle, Chuck Hamilton of Arvada, Colorado.
He is survived by his spouse, Carolyn; daughter, Elizabeth; sister-in-law, Linda Bartholomew (Blake) of Middleton; brother-in-law, Gary Bower (Sandy) of Caldwell; sister-in-law, Kay Iverson (Greg) of Caldwell; step-children, Valerie Davenport (Dale) of Boise, Zack Rowland (Christa) of Boise, and Lacey Rowland of Corvallis, Oregon; 3 grandchildren, Benjamin, Daphne and Moby; and numerous nieces and nephews.