Charles Allen Silence passed away on October 12, 2024, after a life-long struggle with depression. Chuck (or Chucky to childhood friends) was born on October 14, 1954, to Jackson Guthrie and Mary Belle (Taulman) Silence in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The family began visiting the North Shore when Chuck was a teen and moved permanently to Grand Marais. Chuck graduated from Cook County High School in 1974 and joined the U.S. Army.
On June 18, 1975, he married Rhonda (Bockovich) Silence and they set off on the adventure of being a military family. They were stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington; Mannheim, Germany; Fort Carson, Colorado; Heilbronn, Germany; Fort Ord, California; and Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Chuck was proud of his time in Germany, where he served on the NATO team decommissioning the Pershing Missile. He enjoyed interacting with his Soviet counterparts during this important peacekeeping mission.
Chuck was also deployed for a year to Korea to the border between North and South Korea, the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Chuck was honored to be part of the U.S./South Korean partnership.
Chuck’s final military assignment was at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, just outside Washington D.C. He was assigned to the Military District of Washington (MDW) which guards the White House and Capitol. Chuck took part in some very interesting emergency training exercises, but he refused to jump out of a perfectly good helicopter.
After 21 years, Chuck retired and the family moved to Grand Marais, which despite all the travels was always home. A bit young to be retired, Chuck worked a variety of jobs— at Hedstrom Lumber, as a driver for Como Oil & Propane, as a line locator for Northern Lights Locating, and as a delivery driver for Sawtooth Lumber.
He fully retired when his first grandbaby was born. He spent the next 20 years enjoying every minute of being a grandpa. He loved taking the grandkids fishing, on ATV rides, and attending their sporting events. He was always happy to see them and greeted them as “my munchkins,” although they eventual-ly were taller than him.
Chuck was an avid hunter and fisherman. He and Rhonda loved camping in their toy hauler and riding the backroads and trails on their ATVs. Once in a while, Rhonda could get him to go kayaking. They had a memorable cruise around the Hawaiian Islands in April 2024 and Chuck got to cross an item off his bucket list—a submarine ride. He is preceded in death by his parents and his dearly loved older brother Mike Silence of Indianapolis.
He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Rhon-da; his children Ben and Michele Silence and Gideon and Sara Silence; his grandchildren RaeAnne, Genevieve, Carter, AnnaBelle, and Eloise; his brother Brian Silence and his wife Nanette; his sisters Lois Sprinkle and Mary “Sissy” Silence; his father-in-law Richard Bockovich; sister-in-law Rhodelle Allman and her husband J.R; brother-in-law Randy Bockovich and brother-in-law Ryan Bockovich and his wife, Jeni; special “adopted” kid Misty Carlson; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
The list of people who have helped our family is endless and we won’t try to list them because we do not want to leave anyone out. However, we want to say a special thanks to the emergency crew and nurses at North Shore Health. Your caring and kindness will never be forgotten.
Despite fighting depression, for the most part, Chuck lived a good life. In his memory, we ask that you please do the same.
A memorial service will be held sometime in November.
