Conne, Charles “Charlie” Francis
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Charles “Charlie” Francis Conne on August 5, 2023, in Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson.
He will be dearly missed by Alice, his wife of 65 years; his children Denis (Dot), Chris, Kathy (Shawn), and his grandchildren Charles, Alex, Sebastien and Isabella.
Charles was born in the village of Les Monts-de-Corsier, Switzerland. His childhood was filled with attending a one-room schoolhouse, skiing, swimming in the Veveyse river, and working on the farm.
His love for geography and adventure brought him to Canada at the age of 22. After one year working on a farm in Saskatchewan, Charles headed up to Yellowknife to work as a “mucker” at Giant Gold Mine. In 1957 Charles returned to Switzerland to be with his ailing mother. While there, he met his future wife Alice. They married in April 1958, and together they returned to Yellowknife where their first son Denis was born in 1960. The young family left Yellowknife to move to Merritt, where their second son Chris was born in 1964. Charles continued to work in various mines throughout the southern interior and Vancouver Island before settling in Revelstoke in 1970, where their daughter Kathy was born in 1971.
Charles loved Revelstoke, saying it reminded him of Switzerland. He worked for Parks Canada as Carpenter Foreman for Mt. Revelstoke/Glacier National Parks until he retired in 1992. After retirement, Charles and Alice built their “Swiss Chalet” dream home on Alpine Lane, overlooking town with a view of Mt. Begbie which Charles had summited to celebrate his 50th birthday.
In 2007 Charles and Alice left Revelstoke for the West Kootenays. They settled on an acreage on Pass Creek Road, where Charles enjoyed working in his woodshop and relaxing in the sun. They downsized to Castlegar in 2021, which is where Charles lived until being admitted to hospital in July. The family would like to thank Dr. Merritt and all the staff on the 3rd floor of KLH, whose care and concern for Charles in his final days will never be forgotten.
A memorial service will be held for Charles at 11:00 am, September 16th at the Revelstoke Cemetery Columbarium in Revelstoke, BC. This service is open to anyone that wishes to attend.
