Charles Turgeon

Charles Frederic Turgeon, born in Springfield, Massachusetts, died in Greenville, South Carolina on May 31, 2016. His loving wife, Frances (Frandie) Dean Dudley Turgeon, of 49 years passed away in November 2011. He was predeceased by his brother Thomas Snyder Turgeon in 2013. Charles is survived by his sister Charlotte “Nan” White of Falmouth, Maine; his sons Frederick King and his wife Sarah and grandson Henry of Virginia Beach; John Jeffrey and his wife Teri and grandchildren Kristin & Jonathan of North Grafton, Massachusetts; and Christopher Dudley and his wife Victoria and grandchildren Nicholas & Emma of Greenville, South Carolina.

He was the eldest son of Frederick King & Charlotte Snyder Turgeon of Amherst, Massachusetts. He attended Amherst College, Class of ’57, and proceeded onto Yale Law School. However, after a year of graduate school, he realized practicing law was not for him and instead joined the United States Navy in their Officers’ Candidate School. He served as an Air Intelligence Officer assigned to the Attack Squadron (VA-145) that flew the A1-Skyraider aircraft. The squadron’s nickname was “The Swordsman”. He served aboard two aircraft carriers, the USS Oriskany and the USS Ranger. Fulfilling his active duty obligations in the Far East, Charles found himself analyzing data from reconnaissance missions flying over Southeast Asia. This work caught the attention of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who hired him and brought him to the Washington, D.C. area where he would become an Intelligence Analyst for the next 30 years. Charles, however, would not give up his commitment to serve the U.S. Navy. He continued his naval career in the Naval Reserves, earning a degree at the Naval War College, led as Commander of the Reserve Intelligence Area 19, and eventually retired as a Captain after serving the Navy for over 35 years.

It was his time in Washington, D.C. that would prove to be the most formative. As a bachelor, Charlie set himself up with his navy buddies in a decrepit house in the city they affectionately referred to as the “Snake Ranch.” It was there he honed an interest in good food and wine and formed an organization of “foodies,” all with Navy connections, which came to be called COMWIFOOLANT. It was also in that unique atmosphere of Washington, D.C. in the early 1960s, the realm of Camelot, that one of Charlie’s friends introduced him to a young lady, Frances Dean Dudley, from South Orange New Jersey, who had recently been hired by the Kiplinger Washington Editors. They courted, fell madly in love, and were married in November of 1963. From there, the two would move to the Washington suburbs and raise their three boys in Rockville, Maryland.

Charlie and Frandie loved to entertain. Food and wine, and sharing it with others, became their avocation. Charlie maintained and expanded the COMWIFOOLANT committee, hosting and organizing frequent dinner parties around the Washington area. He was also an ardent Episcopalian who would serve as a parishioner, a vestry member, and even as Senior Warden of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Potomac, Maryland. The lifelong friends they would make at that parish were also frequent dinner guests, which encouraged the two of them to find interesting ways to entertain. Charlie’s interests in food and wine led him toward some publishing opportunities. With his mother Charlotte, a noted cookbook author, he co-wrote Time to Entertain from the Saturday Evening Post. He was also brought in as a consultant with another cookbook author to assist with pairing particular wines with dishes highlighted in the book. Charlie even had a brief stint with Washingtonian Magazine as a wine and food critic, encouraging him to sample and judge some of the finer establishments in the metropolitan area. One of his favorite engagements was designing, coordinating, and travelling with food and wine tours throughout Europe with his mother Charlotte.

Another love of Charlie’s was Maine. He had a profound affection for the state of Maine, and the Turgeon descendants who began their American journey there. He shared property on the coast of Maine with family members where he loved to sail, cook, consume the local seafood, and research and write about the family genealogy. Frequent pilgrimages to Maine allowed him to pass through western Massachusetts, where he grew up, to stay in touch with his Amherst ’57 classmates and involve himself in regular class reunions. Now, while he clearly never gave up his Maine roots, his tenure in the mid-Atlantic region developed into an affection for Maryland and its history. Periodic visits, through much of the 1980s, into historic St. Mary’s County, Maryland eventually led Charlie & Frandie to build a waterfront home to which they would retire. From there, Charlie & Frandie engaged in a new Episcopal community at the historical St. Andrews parish, in California, Maryland, where they would become devoted parishioners and vestry members. In their retirement, when Charlie & Frandie were not travelling around the country and the world, they were entertaining at home or making periodic trips to nearby Washington to see old friends.

Please join us in Potomac, Maryland on Friday, June 24th, at 1 PM at St. Francis Episcopal Church for a memorial service and a celebration of Charlie’s life and service there. Charles will then be joined with his loving wife in St. Mary’s the following day, Saturday June 25th, at 1 PM at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in California, Maryland.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. To send the family private condolences, visit online at www.westvillefunerals.com