PORT ANGELES — Charles “Chuck” David Whidden, former Port Angeles mayor, Coast Guardsman and avid outdoorsman, has died at the age of 84.
He died of an age-related illness at a convalescent center in Port Angeles, his family said.
Whidden was mayor of the city in 1986 and 1987. He also served on the Port Angeles City Council from 1979 to 1984 and again from 1984 to 1987, city spokeswoman Teresa Pierce said.
Later in his retirement, Whidden served consecutive terms on the city’s Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission from 2001 to 2011.
“He worked very diligently to make the city of Port Angeles a better place to call home,” said Port Angeles Recreation Services Manager Richard Bonine.
Cindy Kochanek, administrative specialist in the Recreation Division, described Whidden as a “kind-hearted” public representative.
‘Public servant’
“He enjoyed being a public servant and being a member of the City Council,” said David Flodstrom, Port Angeles city manager from 1980 to 1990.
“He was a business owner, and he was always concerned with taking actions supportive of local businesses,” Flodstrom said.
“He had a good sense of humor. He was quick to laugh and occasionally would laugh at himself.
“I think he worked fairly hard studying his agenda and preparing for the issues.”
During his term as mayor, Whidden would “encourage all members of the council to have their say on the issues,” Flodstrom said.
“He was a good resource for the history of Port Angeles,” Bonine added.
“He had some of the best institutional knowledge.”
Whidden was born in the Boston suburb of Wakefield, Mass., on March 6, 1928.
He enlisted in the Coast Guard at the age of 17.
Coast Guard tour of duty
One of his first tours of duty was at the Port Angeles Coast Guard station on Ediz Hook.
“He liked it so well he bought a piece of property at Lake Crescent and started building a cabin when he had leave time,” said Marilyn Whidden, Charles’ wife of 48 years.
Charles Whidden met and married Marilyn, a Port Angeles native, in 1964.
He retired from the Coast Guard in 1967 as a chief petty officer in the Coast Guard Air Rescue after serving tours in Alaska, Guam and on the East Coast.
Marilyn Whidden said her husband took a liking to the weather and recreational opportunities on the North Olympic Peninsula.
“He liked to be able to go outdoors 12 months a year,” Marilyn said.
“He didn’t like excessive heat, and he didn’t like shoveling snow, which he did little of,” she said.
“Even some of the places where he was stationed, he made the best of it. He would play golf, or he skied, or swam, or did something on his time off.
“But he enjoyed the out-of-doors more than anything else.”
The couple owned a marine supply store at the Port Angeles Boat Haven and operated Marilyn’s Chowder House in downtown Port Angeles for 20 years.
“That was when everything was downtown,” Marilyn recalled.
“Those were good years. That was a fun time.”
Charles Whidden stayed active in his retirement. He competed in the Seattle-to-Portland, Ore., and Seattle-to-Vancouver, B.C., bicycle races for 10 years.
Kochanek recalled seeing Charles and Marilyn riding their bicycles past her office every day.
Sailboat
After selling their home at Lake Crescent, the Whiddens explored the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound on their sailboat.
Eventually, Charles Whidden’s arthritis worsened.
“We decided that having a big sailboat was too much for us,” Marilyn said.
“He got involved with the RC [radio-controlled] sailboat group that they have in Carrie Blake pond. He loved it.”
The Whiddens also volunteered for Streamkeepers, a Clallam County water-quality-monitoring group.
Elaborate garden
The couple enjoyed spending their free time in their elaborate garden at their residence.
They earned the Port Angeles Garden Club’s Winter 2012 Green Thumb Award “for their efforts in maintaining and expanding their quiet, peaceful gardens over the past 11 years,” club members said.
Even as Charles’ health deteriorated, the Whiddens relished their walks along the beaches.
“We did a lot of skiing in our earlier years, too,” Marilyn said.
The couple skied at Hurricane Ridge, Crystal Mountain, Whistler, B.C., and Deer Park before it closed.
As an elected official, Charles was committed to keeping the city fiscally responsible.
“That’s what he was always concerned about, was how will we pay for these things that we want to have, and which are the ones that are important,” Marilyn Whidden said.
“He always found a way to get things done.”
In addition to his wife, Charles Whidden is survived by his daughter, Mary (Frank) Belmont of Port Angeles, and grandson, Travis, 13.
“He just was a truly amazing man,” Mary Belmont said.
“I’m very honored and privileged to have him as my father.”
Services are pending.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
