Charles Edward (Chuck) Ottaway passed away peacefully at home in Allen, Texas, on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 at the age of 88. The son of Emma Himple Ottaway and Charles Edward Ottaway, he was born in Mukwongo, Wisconsin. He was preceded in death by all of his siblings -- five sisters and two brothers -- and is survived by his devoted wife Mildred Ruth Horne Ottaway and a large family. Childhood sweethearts who were married on Christmas Day 1944, the Ottaways celebrated 68 years, 11 months and 2 days of married life together.
Their family grew with six children – two sons and four daughters – plus two sons and two daughters-in-law, 17 grandchildren and grandchildren-in-law, and 10 great grandchildren. All Texans, their children include Elizabeth Morris of Parker, Connie Bouas and her husband David of Carrollton, Susan McCullough and her husband Tom of Plano, Andrew Ottaway and his wife Deborah of Granbury, Charles (Charlie) Ottaway and his wife Cynthia of College Station, and Ellen Joy Ottaway of Allen.
Grandchildren include David L. Morris, Amy Morris Fish and her husband David, Leah Bouas, Jeff Bouas and his wife Maraya, Bryan McCullough and his wife Christa, Lindsay McCullough Cheng and her husband Ben, Michael McCullough and his wife Erin, Hays and Jordan Ottaway, and Aaron, Rebecca and Allison Ottaway.
Great grandchildren include Christopher, Lauren and Matthew Fish; Megan Morris; Andrew, Sarah, Elizabeth and Luke McCullough; and new great grand children Presley Kate Cheng and Gabriel Charles Bouas, who was named for great grandpa.
Early Years
The Ottaway children were orphaned in 1935, when Chuck was 10 years old, and the family was scattered. These Ottaway children never lost contact, holding family reunions of the eight children through the 2000’s. Chuck and his younger brother Eddie were among many wards of the State of Wisconsin and were assigned to the Kennedy Dairy farm. There he worked at all jobs on the dairy and delivered dairy products until his high school graduation at age 16.
After high school, Chuck went to the shipyards in Seattle, Washington, which were advertising nationwide for men to build ships to provide for war time needs. His mechanical skills were immediately engaged to run overhead cranes. He added a second job as a fry cook, at which he was a disaster, but salvaged that job by repairing a steam dishwasher that had been sitting idle for years. “It was just the same as the boiler at the dairy,” he said.
Military Service
Chuck enlisted for three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II as soon as he was old enough. Stationed at the military air base at Hutchinson, Kansas, blonde “Whitey” Ottaway served as an aircraft mechanic. Because of his small stature, he was tapped to crawl into the smallest spaces in the airplanes to make repairs, becoming claustrophobic for the rest of his life.
A lifelong over-achiever, he stood “captain’s mast” for working a sideline job where he was saving up his money to buy his sweetheart Millie’s engagement ring. The couple was married in 1944, and for the first time in his life he got regular meals, growing five inches in the next two years after their wedding.
Engineering Career Highlights
His career choices, like his military choices, reflected a commitment to national service. Chuck completed a double BA at Kansas State University in Hutchinson on the GI bill, and was recruited by Art Collins of Collins Radio. Quickly recognized as a talented engineer by the Collins Radio team, Chuck was assigned to high security and leading edge projects, where he contributed or managed hundreds of projects for Collins and Rockwell, now both purchased by Boeing.
Many of these career achievements contribute to the quality of life in today’s world, including some of the following:
¨ Designing the telecommunications system for Eisenhower’s Air Force One,
¨ Revamping mechanical systems for the New York subway which continue to work smoothly to this day,
¨ Designing communications systems for the Nautilus and the Seawolf, America’s first two nuclear submarines.
¨ Among other things, Chuck Ottaway invented and patented the “universal coupler” joint, designed to achieve safe and efficient ship-to-ship refueling under heavy seas, subsequently applied to air-to-air refueling.
He was most pleased with the enduring legacy of being the project engineer on America’s first satellite dish tracking system, which now supports telecommunications of all kinds. The Echo 1 satellite – beta tested in this project -- was honored with a special stamp commemorating the beginnings of satellite communications. The Ottaways moved to Texas with Collins’ Alpha Corporation in 1959 as he prepared for his assignment in setting up the dish systems worldwide. However, when the company learned of the expense of sending family with five children, they sent a bachelor to next site.
Upon retirement after 36+ years, he was called back for another two years as his skills and intuition were so difficult to replace.
Family and Personal Life
A lifelong focus for the couple was to live simply and invest in land, adhering to the hard-won Depression era approach of “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” Always building and creating, Chuck’s approach to exercise was property development and maintenance. He and Millie built their first garage home in Kansas, renovated their first Iowa house, built a second, and developed the Ottaway subdivision. In Texas, they continued property acquisition, built a new home, and added horses, cattle and other livestock to the overhead. Sister in law Rita Horne noted, “If you come back as something else in the next life, make it one of Chuck Ottaway’s cows.”
Civic and political involvement was always also in their mix. Chuck served as Mayor in Robins, Iowa, and was heavily encouraged to run for the state legislature, which he turned down as it would take too much time from the family. Not consecutively, Millie also served a stint on the Robins Town Council. In Texas, Chuck served on the city council in Allen. Both were lifelong Republicans, never missing an opportunity to vote or to talk politics with their family.
Because of his experience as an orphan, Chuck’s own family was always his pride and his most important investment. Encouraging public involvement and private achievement, Chuck set a high bar, always keeping an eye to assuring stability in the future.
The importance of being educated and informed were paramount in the Ottaway household, where intelligent conversation was shared around the family dinner table. Mom and Dad both reviewed and signed each report card, where it was assumed not “are you going to college, but where.” Each child was encouraged to financially invest in their own education as a commitment to appreciation of academic value.
In a climate where family values are often discounted, six Ottaway children benefited tremendously from the couple’s example and their steadfast encouragement and support. Chuck and Millie’s legacy continues with their children’s and grandchildren’s fine families and many accomplishments.