Charles Walter Ernst

Ernst, Charles Walter "Charlie" passed from this life to be with his Heavenly Father on October 12, 2022. He died at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis at the age of 96 due to heart failure. Born in Davenport, Iowa, on September 1, 1926, he grew up in Fort Dodge, IA. He very much enjoyed his youth and developed a life-long interest in sports especially football, basketball, and swimming. Well into his eighties he played basketball at the YMCA. Drafted out of high school into the army in December of 1944, he served in the Pacific theater, receiving an honorable discharge in 1946. Upon returning to Fort Dodge he met Maxine Eastberg at a dance and three months later they married. They danced together over seventy years. When Charlie was about twenty-five he attended an evangelistic tent meeting and gave his heart to Jesus. This encounter with God became a guiding pillar for his entire life. To support his growing family he took a job with the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway. However, he spent most of his career with the Chicago and Northwestern Railway as an engineer. His career spanned thirty-eight years and he enjoyed regaling others with stories of life on the rails. He moved his family in 1954 to Winthrop, MN. There he grew in his faith-walk and developed life-long friendships. In 1962 the family moved to Minneapolis and settled into a house near Lake Harriet where they lived for the next fifty-two years. Charlie and Maxine traveled extensively, spending time in China, Russia, and many other points around the globe. For years they sang in the choir at Colonial Church of Edina where he also served in Stephen's Ministry. A loving, generous man, he freely gave of his time and liberally shared his resources with many. He deeply loved his family. Charlie has run the race and finished well. He will be greatly missed. He was preceded in death by his parents, three siblings, his wife Maxine, two children Charles and Jean, a grandchild Che, and a great grandchild Adriana. He is survived by five children Julie (Wesley), John (Suzanne), James (Sandie), Bryan, and Andrew (Joy), six grandchildren, twelve great- grandchildren and two great-great- grandchildren. Funeral services held at Meeting House Church (formerly Colonial Church of Edina), Edina, MN, Thursday, October 20, 2022, at 10:00 am.

Tributes

Charles Walter Ernst

September 1, 1926 - October 12, 2022

Tributes

Charles Walter Ernst

September 1, 1926 - October 12, 2022

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