Charles "Charlie" Ingram Wall

Charles Wall was born in Kansas to Lt Col William and Avery Wall. Charlie and his five siblings grew up in an Air Force family, moving across the country often. His most favorite place in early childhood was the time they lived in Glasgow, Montana. The family eventually settled in Nebraska, where Charlie attended high school. Charlie and his brothers were on the wrestling team throughout high school and were all quite accomplished.

After his high school graduation, Charlie joined the Navy to see a bit of the world via the seas. Ironically, he wound up instead being stationed by the Navy on an Air Force Base in New Mexico. Following his time with the Navy, Charlie was encouraged by a friend to work at the Henderson Mine in Colorado. He worked there for several years, many with his brother Steve, before leaving for CU Boulder and earning a bachelor's degree in molecular biology.

Following graduation, Charlie and his first wife moved to California to pursue their careers. After a time, they returned to the Denver area, where they raised two children, Christopher and Melissa. Chris and Missy were the light of Charlie's eyes. Charlie shared many great times and experiences with them, including camping, climbing, hiking, exploring and fishing. He truly loved being a father. He enjoyed spending time with his siblings and their families, often gathering for long weekend retreats.

Charlie worked as a molecular biologist for over 35 years, retiring in 2021 from the Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, within the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Campus. He also worked at various academic research institutions as well as biotechnology companies across the Denver area. During his time at National Jewish, Charlie was instrumental to many projects that provided the groundwork for future studies, in the new field of Stem Cell Research.

Charlie met his second wife, Michelle, aka Shelley, in 2008 and they were married in 2010. Shelley: "Charlie was my soul mate. Whatever hobby or endeavor we got into together, Charlie was the consummate planner and partner. From gardening to cooking, music, rockhounding, family, friends, birds and colleagues, life was never dull. He perfected the art of sourdough bread making and could make a killer fruitcake during the holidays! Charlie was a gentle and easy man to live with and an absolute thrill to love. He was kind, loving, playful but serious and always wanted to bring out the very best in those around him".

Charlie was dedicated to learning everything about whatever interest he pursued. This included climbing over 50 of the fourteeners in Colorado; many with his son Chris. He was an avid fisherman, and routinely travelled to Canada to spend a week or more at "fish-camp" with close fishing buddies, including son Chris and brother Robert. Charlie also shared his love of fishing with his daughter, Missy and whenever possible, they could be found fishing local ponds. Charlie engaged his daughter Jessica in their shared love of spooky stories.

Charlie was an enthusiastic member of a local foodie club, delighting everyone with delectable recipes and stories. Not to mention his famous cocktails!

Charlie restored a classic Pontiac GTO to a like-new condition. And he carefully learned and perfected the art of brewing beer and mead, a hobby which he also shared with his son. Charlie and Shelley enjoyed a mutual love for rocks early on, and together they hunted, collected, cut and polished many specimens. They joined the Littleton Gem & Mineral Club and were very active in club meetings and gatherings. Charlie was even persuaded to become President of the club and then served on the Board for a number of years. His interest was infectious, and he inspired his sister Katy at some point, to collect and share special rocks from around the world. He was challenged by his sister Carroll to expand his bread making talents.

Charlie's latest hobby was birding; he and Shelley joined a local birding group in 2021. Charlie quickly became known as an excellent spotter of birds. This hobby led Charlie to join "Hawk Watch" which was an absolute joy for him. He loved being up on Dinosaur Ridge with his fellow teammates, spotting birds and recording them for the national Hawk Watch Migration efforts. Charlie recently spotted his first American Goshawk which was a particular highlight for him. Charlie's spirit soared when watching hawks.

Charlie passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the end of March. He was in the midst of a "Hawk Watch" session on Dinosaur Ridge when he fell ill. He was immediately tended to by his colleagues as well as emergency personnel and was quickly air-lifted to St. Anthony's Hospital in Lakewood. He died shortly afterwards, with his wife, Shelley, by his side.

In addition to his parents, Charlie was predeceased by his brother, Kevin Wall and sister-in-law, Sandy Coronis.

Charlie is survived by his wife, son Christopher (Nina), daughter Melissa, step-daughters Jessica and Hinari; siblings Stephen (Diane), Robert (Lori), Katy (Bob) Yates, and Carroll (Shawn Taylor), sisters-in-law Gwen (Frank) Garland and Lynne (Michael) Hujsak, and brother-in-law Greg Coronis, and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Charlie's memory to the Hawk Watch Fund (https://dfobirds.org/DFO/donate.aspx) or another organization of your choice. That would make Charlie smile.

Many thanks to everyone, family and friends, for enriching Charlie's life, with your love, enthusiasm and friendship. He loved you all.

Please use the link below to share your favorite story or picture of Charlie. This will mean so much to all of us who knew and loved Charlie, as we move forward, learning to live without his special presence in our daily lives.