Charles William Fish

Charles William Fish, 87, died Oct. 20, 2024, at Pathways Hospice Care in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Charlie was born on Nov. 21, 1936, to Leslie Hazeley Fish and Anna Petra (Lund) Fish in Minneapolis, Minn. He attended Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis and graduated in 1954. He married Audrey Lorraine Hanson on Nov. 10, 1956. Charlie and Audrey grew up in the same neighborhood and had been a couple since they were teenagers.

Charlie started working for the Northern Pacific Railroad (NP) as a yard clerk in 1955 and worked his way into management with the Burlington Northern (BN) Railroad after it merged with the NP. His work took the family from Minneapolis to Lincoln, Neb. in 1972, and in 1984 to Naperville, Ill., where he was the Director of Safety and Rules for the Chicago Region of the BN. He retired in Naperville in 1991. He and Audrey moved to Lake City, Minn., where he lived until moving to Fort Collins in 2022 to be near family.

Charlie was preceded in death by his parents and wife; his brothers Robert Leslie and Calvin Leslie, and his sister Marion Lois Chambers.

He is survived by his sister Judith Ann (Fish) Christie; daughter Joanne Fish (Wade Satterfield); sons David Fish (Jeanne) and Steven Fish (Caroline); and grandchildren James and Maxwell Satterfield; Lisa, Nicole, Danielle, Michael and Sarah Fish; and Victoria and Griffin Fish; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Burial of his cremains will be at Crystal Lakes Cemetery in Minneapolis in May 2025. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May17, at Port 104 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in Lake City, Minn. Appetizers will be served, and those who want to share a memory or story about Charlie are invited to do so.