Obituary of Charles Mooar

Charles Randolph Mooar Sept. 4, 1915 - Sept. 25, 2012

Born in the early 20th Century, raised in the depression, he served his country in WWII, and participated in the economic boom of post war America, he witnessed a country in social transform.

Charles was born in Cincinnati Ohio and his first job was with WLW radio where he met the emerging talents of Rosemary Clooney and Doris Day. His love of the mechanical took him to Luken Airport as an aviation mechanic where he met Amelia Erhardt and Howard Hughes. Wonder lust took him to sea in the Merchant Marine in the years before WWII. Charles experienced the cultures of Africa, South America, Asia, and India. He continued in the Merchant Marine in WWII, surviving torpedo attacks on two occasions. He served on the crew of the ship that took his son's future mother-in-law to the South Pacific for her posting as a nurse. After the war, he took supplies to rebuild post war Europe and came home with a bride from Finland. He became "beached" after his marriage and settled back in Cincinnati Ohio working for the B and O Railroad in their engine maintenance yard. The era of rail was fading and he took a job in the newly opened General Electric flight propulsion division in Evandale. There, he worked with test engineers to run the test cells that developed the generations of jet engines that have fueled air travel. While working for GE, he met John Glen and the original seven astronauts.

Charles and his wife, Meri, raised three children and hosted the neighborhood children in their home on hot summer day in the early years of air conditioning. In the early 60's he managed a local children's knothole baseball team, the Carson Thunderbolts, which was the only team that was inclusive of all cultures.

His love of travel continued and he and his family spent every summer vacation traveling the country, tent camping in the national parks and forests, visiting all of the lower 48 states. After retirement, Charles knocked off the other two while sailing on their annual winter cruises.

He is survived by his son, Pekka Mooar (Sally Pullman) and daughter, Lisa Cross (Kendall); and 5 grandchildren: Ethan Mooar, Rebecca Mooar, Sarah Mooar, Laina Cross, and Nicholas Cross. He was preceded in death by a son, Charles W. Mooar.

Services will be held at a later date in Cincinnati, Ohio.