Charles "Charlie" Chizum

BELLEVUE - Charles Jerome "Charlie" Chizum, 62, of Bellevue, left the confines of this earth for "the wild blue yonder" on July 17, 2015. He had been a resident of Ashley Manor in Jerome for the past three years.

Charlie was born July 20, 1952, in Sioux Falls, S.D., the youngest of four children of Earl Ralph and Beverly Esther Remme Chizum. When Charlie was 2, crammed into a '49 Ford coupe, the Chizum family left their Midwest roots and moved first to Washington State where, after a long, cold, grey, wet winter there, headed to sunny Southern California, settling in the coastal community of Manhattan Beach. It was there that Charlie learned to surf, and never really lost his love for the ocean, sandy beaches, and warm sunny weather.

Charlie moved to Idaho in the early '70s, where he joined his two older brothers, Mike and Dennis, in the drywall trade.

Charlie had a lifelong interest in aviation and, in 1988, earned his pilot's license in Hailey. He loved to fly, attended countless air shows, enjoyed the science and magic of aircraft of all kinds, and could identify and "talk" planes, large and small. His gaze was ever upward.

Two of Charlie's greatest joys in life were meeting the love of his life, Virginia Sue "Ginny" Forbis, of Bellevue, in 1974 , and the birth of his son, Joseph Caleb "Joe" Chizum, in 1981. Charlie and Ginny got married on the beach in Seaside, Ore., in 1976. They had many happy years together and were soulmates to the end.

Charlie was preceded in death by his father, Earl, and his wife, Ginny.

He is survived by his mother, Beverly Chizum, of Hailey; his son, Joe (Carrie) Chizum and twin granddaughters, Ava and Addi, of Hagerman; his two brothers, Mike Chizum, of Bellevue, and Dennis Chizum, of Hailey; his sister, Patty Healey, of Bellevue; and many other nieces and nephews.

Ever the "beach boy," Charlie spent many years with Ginny and the kids enjoying summers at Magic Reservoir; diving and tubing and swimming at Martin Bridge in Picabo; boating and riding his bike in Hagerman; and enjoying surf vacations with Ginny in Sayulita, Mexico .

Charlie loved his family; he loved dogs and birds and other animals; he loved Idaho -- especially in the summertime; and he loved to laugh and share good times with family and friends.

A gathering of the family in his memory has already taken place.

Arrangements are under the care of Farnsworth Mortuary of Jerome.