Charles (Chuck) Eugene Oelsner
July 27, 1939 ~ September 17, 2021 (age 82)
Obituary
Charles (Chuck) Eugene Oelsner, age 82, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family at his home in Albuquerque, NM on Friday, September 17, 2021. He was born on July 27, 1939, in Covington, KY to parents Charles Paul Oelsner and Lois Juanita Henry. Throughout his life Chuck was a husband, father, teacher, and hobbyist who will be sorely missed.
Chuck grew up in Northern Kentucky where he graduated from St. Xavier School in 1957. For 9 years after high school (1957-1966) Chuck was a member of the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). While living at the Jesuit Spiritual Center at Milford, in southern Ohio, he studied Classics and Humanities at Xavier University. Chuck moved to Chicago, IL where he attended Loyola University and earned a BA in Philosophy and Latin in 1963 and a Licentiate in Philosophy in 1964. Chuck had always marveled at the beauty and elegance of mathematics and thought teaching would provide a way to combine his love of mathematics with a strong desire to live a life of service. He left the seminary to pursue degrees in mathematics and a teaching career. Chuck earned 2 Master's degrees in Mathematics from Syracuse University in 1967 and 1970, generously funded by a National Science Foundation Fellowship that allowed him to purchase a Mustang and take ski holidays in Vermont (it was the age of Sputnik after all).
In 1971, Chuck began teaching at Manlius Pebble Hill School (MPH) where he also served as the Head of the Mathematics Department. In addition to providing an ideal place to combine his avocation with his profession, MPH is where he met his wife, Sylvia, and they were wed in 1973. More than a sage on the stage, Chuck was always a champion for students and celebrated even their smallest achievements. He kept up with innovations in his field including computer programming, database design, and the use of computer animated graphics as a teaching tool. Chuck retired from MPH in 2005 and he and Sylvia moved to Albuquerque, NM. Although he succeeded in finding a sunny place to live, he failed at retirement, and continued teaching part-time at Central New Mexico Community College for several years.
Chuck was a devoted husband and father and loved spending time with his family. He had many hobbies, including mathematics, which he usually explored singularly and in-depth. Throughout his life, Chuck enjoyed the outdoors through camping, hiking, skiing, and fishing. Earlier in his life, he completed many woodworking projects around the house and numerous sets for community and school theater productions. Chuck never missed a state fair and would go to any fireworks display within a two-hour drive. In retirement, Chuck explored photography, researched his genealogy, and became an award-winning wood carver. Chuck and Sylvia were symphony patrons both in Syracuse and Albuquerque and enjoyed traveling together. A Kentucky boy at heart, Chuck was a bourbon connoisseur and would comment that it "was 5 o'clock somewhere" while pouring a drink at the end of the day.
Chuck is survived by his wife of 47 years Sylvia; son, Geoffrey; daughter, Gretchen with her husband Stevan Gyetvai and their daughter, Phoebe.
Services will be held at Cross of Hope Lutheran Church, 6104 Taylor Ranch Rd NW Albuquerque, NM on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, at 2:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to MPH, where Chuck taught mathematics for 34 Years (www.mphschool.org).
Please visit (https://memories.net/timeline/charlese-oelsner-84945) for more details on Chuck's life.
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Services
SERVICES
Wednesday
September 29, 2021
2:00 PM
Cross of Hope Lutheran Church
6104 Taylor Ranch Road NW
Albuquerque, NM 87120