Chuck Walser will not attend another meeting of the Rotary Club of Canon City, but his tales will live forever.  In particular Chuck will be remember for the visit of a famous Russian diplomat, complete KGB guard and a black limousine with Russian flags displayed on the fenders.  Our condolences go to Chuck's family for their loss.
 
Charles Callaghan Walser, 72 of Canon City, Colorado, died on July 29, 2015. Known as Chuck or Charlie, he was born to Charles B. Walser and Dorothy Lou (Callaghan) Walser on October 7, 1942. After spending his early childhood in Littleton, Colorado, he moved to Canon City where he resided for over 60 years, until the time of his death. Chuck graduated from Canon City High School in the class of 1961. While at CCHS he was on the color guard and worked, during the summer months, at the Royal Gorge. Chuck attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, where he was in Navy ROTC and was on the drill team. Chuck married Judy Minor in 1965. Chuck served honorably in the United States Navy from 1966 to 1968 aboard the USS Littlerock stationed in Gaeta, Italy. In 1968 Chuck returned to Canon City to operate the family business, the Fremont County Abstract Company, with his grandfather, Ralph Callaghan. Later, he founded the Custer County Abstract Company. Chuck was President of the Land Title Association of Colorado and was actively involved in the local community serving as President of Rotary Club, the Canon City-Valdai Russia Sister City Association, Fremont Center for the Arts, and the Music and Blossom Festival. He served on the Board of Directors of the St. Thomas More Hospital. He was also active in Jaycees, the Fremont County Republican Committee, the Maserati Club of Colorado, and the Other Dino club. He founded the Moretti Club of America. Chuck had a life-long passion for travel. He traveled extensively with family and friends in Russia, Europe, North Africa, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the United States. Along the way, he developed life-long friendships around the world. He was an advocate for cultural exchange programs, including the Rotary student exchange and the Canon City-Valdai Sister City Association exchanges of Russian students, businessmen, and other professionals. He believed that people around the world could be friends, even when their governments were not. In addition to travel, Chuck's interests included car clubs, car collecting, and car shows, cooking, scuba diving, antique collecting, community service, the outdoors and the arts. He was proud of his German and Irish heritage and frequently traveled to Germany and to Ireland to enjoy the culture. He participated in the Estes Park Celtic Festivals and organized the inaugural Canon City Celtic Festival. Some of his earliest memories were listening to music with his mom, and from this he developed a lifelong love of music. He always looked forward to opening night at the Central City Opera and was always searching for live music performances and concerts to attend. Chuck was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his two sons, Nikolaus Broughton Walser, of New York City, New York, and Alex Christian Walser, of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be sent to the Canon City-Valdai Sister City Association, the Valdai Orphanage, Fremont Center for the Arts, Rotary International Exchange Student Program, or the USS Littlerock Foundation.