Charles Edward Jordan Jr.

Charles Edward Jordan, Jr. (Chick), of Phoenix, Arizona, passed away peacefully on December 11, 2018 at the age of 82, surrounded by his family, only twenty days after receiving a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Born on July 11, 1936 in Fall River, Massachusetts, Chick was the son of Charles Edward Jordan, Sr. and Marguerite Irene Bullock of Warren, Rhode Island. After graduating from LaSalle Academy in Providence, he briefly attended the Rhode Island School of Design, and then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, first serving in Eglin AFB, Florida. It was there he met and married Alice Elaine Wainwright (Bunnie) after a brief courtship in 1956. A burgeoning family quickly ensued.

Chick left the service in the mid 1960s and began his career in the nascence of the computer industry. He began as a programmer at Honeywell (a job which he maintained was the favorite of his career). Chick and Bunnie settled in Littleton, Massachusetts in 1970, where they subsequently raised their seven children.

He traveled the world extensively for his work, while obtaining his bachelors and masters degrees in night classes at Northeastern University in Boston, and ultimately became Director of Software Development for Honeywell. He was determined and hard working, and was well regarded for his kindness and generosity to others. He was also a deeply spiritual man, who practiced his Catholicism and implemented the tenets of his faith in his daily life.

He fostered a love for the desert while stationed at Edwards, California in the Mojave, which prompted a move to Phoenix, Arizona in 1985 after the majority of his children had grown.

Chick retired in the mid 1990s, and was able to pursue his and Bunnie’s lifelong dream to travel the United States in an RV. They loved their life on the open road, unfettered by ties of a permanent residence, and reveled in the beauty of America and the people they befriended on the way. After many years of travel together and 51 years of a happy marriage, Chick sadly lost Bunnie to a year long struggle with lung cancer in 2007.

In 2009, Chick was blessed to find love again, and married Shirley (Fredrickson) McWilliams, who had also been recently widowed after a happy marriage of 56 years. His already bountiful family expanded to include her three children, Debra McElreath of St Augustine, Florida, Kerri Hall of Phoenix, and David McWilliams of Denver, Colorado and her three grandchildren.

In the past decade of his life, he rediscovered his love for theater and painting, and performed regularly with Shirley in a recurring comedic skit where he mirrored the character of legendary Foster Brooks. He also devoted four days a week volunteering with St. Vincent de Paul in providing meals for those in need. He frequently enjoyed traveling with “his girl Shirl.”

Besides his beloved wife Shirley, he is survived by his children with Bunnie. He was a devoted family man and deeply loved all of them: Charles (Chip) Jordan III of Scottsdale, AZ , William (Bill) Jordan of Plymouth, NH, James (Jim) and Karen Jordan of Boca Raton, FL, Richard (Rick) Jordan of New York, NY, Mari Elaine and Terry Amerine of Phoenix, AZ, Michael Jordan and his husband Robert Campbell of Phoenix, AZ, and Laura (Lori) and Craig Gorecki of Glendale, AZ. He is also survived by 17 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren, who were a source of great joy to him.

At Chick's request, no services will be held.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Chick’s name to St. Vincent De Paul (St. James Conference) at 19640 N. 35th Ave., Glendale, AZ 85308