Charles John Foley, 94, passed away on April 3, 2026, in Kennewick, WA. He was born March 23, 1932, in Burns, OR, to Charles B. and Gertrude Foley. Chuck attended Madeline Parochial, Columbia Prep and Portland University, where he met his future wife, Rosemary. He earned a BS in Engineering, and they were married in 1955.

Chuck and Rosemary moved to the Seattle area, where he worked for Boeing for 10 years as a test engineer, earning his MS in Mechanical Engineering from the U. of W. while living there. They briefly moved to the Portland area after a layoff, and then settled permanently in Richland in 1967, when Chuck was hired to work on the preliminary design of the FFTF reactor. After that role was completed, he was hired in 1981 by WPPSS as a project engineer, promoted to develop engineering procedures and finished his career completing plant licensing work until he retired in 1997.

Family was the center of his life, and he and Rosemary raised six kids together over the course of their 69-year marriage. Chuck lost his own father when he was only four, so he raised his kids by doing what he would have wanted from a dad. Chuck spent endless hours around the dinner table helping his kids and their friends with math homework. He made sure the kids were awake for school and church by playing the guitar, throwing open the bedroom doors and singing “rise and shine, give God your glory!” He took the family camping, fishing and hiking along sections of the Pacific Crest Trail and we still vacationed together as adults when possible.

Chuck was committed to his church and community. He was very active at Christ the King Church and deeply involved with several religious education programs, including CCD, Search and RCIA. Chuck helped launch the Sausage Fest, especially promoting the beer garden. This offered him the chance to indulge in three things he was particularly fond of – good beer, good food, and people he cared for to share it with. He was a lector, Eucharistic Minister and volunteered to be project manager on an expansion of the TC Prep campus. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and served as the Grand Knight. He participated in KC Help, delivering medical supplies to those in need. Chuck also served two terms on the Richland City Council and helped spearhead the Sunfest, which organized summer entertainment in Howard Amon Park.

Chuck is survived by five grateful children who were lucky to call him dad: Chris Foley (Terry), Mary Bazzano (Bob), Liz Olson (Mel), Dan Foley (Leslie) and Meg Coleman (Dave), plus nine grandkids and four great grandkids. He was preceded in death by his wife Rosemary and his son Mike.

A funeral mass will be held in his memory at Christ the King Church on Saturday, June 20, at 10 am. There will also be a graveside blessing at 1:30 pm at Einan’s at Sunset Funeral Home.