- Date Of Birth: April 30, 1940
- Date Of Death: July 18, 2014
- State: Iowa
Charles Matthew Conway was born on April 30, 1940 in Melrose, Iowa to Henry Edward Conway and Mary Gertrude Carmody Conway. Charles was the second of nine children. He grew up on a farm south of Melrose near Iconium, Iowa. He and his siblings got into many adventures on the farm. His mother Mary often saved the children from their own mischief including being chased by a bull and providing shovels to the children to unbury his brother from a corn crib. He attended country school until 8th grade and graduated from Melrose High School in 1957.
He attended Indian Hills and obtained an associates degree. He also worked on the Highway Commission in western Iowa near Omaha. He worked for Kaiser Ke-Wash, a fertilizer plant in Melrose. His true love in life was farming. He enjoyed planting and harvesting crops and driving tractors.
In October of 1966 Charles was set up on a blind date with Susan Paula Harness. They spent the evening dining and dancing. This would lead to many more dates dancing at Rathbun, and eating at the Pale Moon in Centerville. Four months later Charles proposed in February 1967, and the couple was married on July 15, 1967. They resided in Albia, Belle Plaine, and Chariton before having children. They moved to Melrose to start a family. Charles and Susan raised four children Vincent (Vince) Charles, Shannon Marie, Sean Edward, and Megan Mae.
The family moved from Melrose to Chariton in the Fall of 1977 so that Charles could be closer to work. Charles worked for the Hy-Vee Food Store for 33 years. Charles was a shift manager and HBC aisle manager. Many Chariton residents remember working with Charles as teenagers. He was not the typical smile in every aisle, but Charles could strike up a conversation with any customer. Customers knew him by name, and he said they lined up many carts deep for him to check them out. He retired from Hy-Vee in the Fall of 2000 to return to his true calling-farming. His brother Pat and R.D. Curran kept him busy in the Fall and Spring of each year. He always enjoyed driving tractors, and in retirement restored two tractors- a John Deere, and an Oliver. He was a member of the Chariton River Valley Antique Power Association Tractor Club and loved going on tractor rides and participating in parades. He looked forward to the Melrose 4th of July parade, and the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Des Moines.
Charles enjoyed taking road trips with his friends Sam Voss and Fred Peterson, and his brothers Pat and Jimmy. He enjoyed wheeling and dealing cars, tractors, lawn mowers, basically anything with a motor. He always came home with an interesting story from these “adventures”.
Family was very important to Charles. He always had a billfold full of pictures to show off. Although they were usually slightly outdated photographs, his family was honored that he kept them close. He traveled to his granddaughters special events such as county fairs, academic awards ceremonies, and sporting events. Everybody knew who Grandpa Charlie was at these events.
Charles passed away on July 18, 2014 at Legacy Lodge Hospice in Chariton at the age of 74.
Charles will be greatly missed by his wife of 47 years, Susan; his children: Vince (Judy) Conway of Cannon Falls, Minnesota; Shannon (Jeff) Hafner of Panora, Iowa; Sean (Jenni) Conway of Windsor Heights; and Megan Conway of Chariton; his grandchildren: Regina, Brenna, Emma, Aubry, Alex and Marco; his siblings: Marge Moore of Clive; Jimmy (Evelyn) Conway of Des Moines; Mary Kay (Jim) Flahive of Omaha; Martha Kuhl of Urbandale; Patrick (Denise) Conway of Russell; Marilyn Thielenhaus of West Des Moines; Mark (Patty) Conway of Urbandale; and Diane Conway of Clive; and many nieces, nephews, Conway and Carmody aunts, uncles, and cousins, good friends, and his beloved beagle Hazel.
Charles was preceded in death by his parents Henry and Mary Conway; Conway and Carmody aunts, uncles, and cousins, and his beloved cocker spaniel/lab Muriel.
