Memorial

Charles “Chuck” Henry Wehage was born on Thursday, August 18, 1938, in Fargo, North Dakota, the oldest of Alois and Regina Wehage’s five children. He was an extremely bright, curious, and imaginative child. Some might even go so far as to call Chuck a little genius.

Chuck attended St. Anthony Catholic School from Kindergarten through 8th grade. He often served the 6:30 am daily mass, bundling up and braving the harsh North Dakota winter mornings to walk the 9 blocks to the church.

As a young man, Chuck was always very busy. Being ever-inventive, Chuck even rigged a personal detection system that alerted him to any intruders, family or otherwise, into his room at home. Needing to be busy, he did various odd jobs around town, like caddying and playing golf. In high school, Chuck played on the hockey team all four years.

Chuck graduated third in his class from Shanley Catholic High School. He should have graduated second, but he deferred to the nuns who wanted a boy and a girl respectively to hold the valedictorian and salutatorian positions. Rank and prestige mattered little to modest Chuck Wehage.

After high school, Chuck joined ROTC which enabled him to attend college at what is now North Dakota State University. Chuck was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and majored in electrical engineering. As a side gig, Chuck worked as a window washer that serviced many of the bigger and taller buildings in the Fargo/Morehead area. He still found time to also serve as a DJ and radio engineer for the NDSU campus radio, Bison 1660 AM.

A blind date his senior year in college would change Chuck’s life forever. His good friend, Bill Lantz, Chuck up with Bill’s first cousin, Carol Lee Chloupek. After a short courtship, Chuck and Carol were married on August 5, 1961, at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Morehead, Minnesota.

Chuck served as a First Lieutenant in the US Army Signal Corps from 1960 to 1962, at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. In July of 1962, their daughter Karen was born on the Army base.

After an honorable discharge, the Collins Radio Company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recruited Chuck as an avionics equipment engineer. He would join with fellow engineers to put together the Government Avionics Comm/Nav team, winning the contract for the ARC-186, the VOR/ILS and TACAN. Chuck worked for 37 years at Collins, traveling extensively worldwide on the TCAS Collision Avoidance System project. In addition, Chuck holds several avionics patents.

Chuck had many interests. He rode his bicycle to work every day and even biked home for lunch. He owned a motorcycle and was a good car mechanic. In fact, he was so good, he refused to spend money on new cars until Carol finally put her foot down.

In the 1990’s, Chuck earned his single engine pilot’s license, later adding an instrument rating. His first plane was a Cessna and later he had a V-35 Bonanza.

Flying enabled Chuck and Carol to connect with family and friends all around the country. Flights took them to Biloxi, Panama City, Door County, Myrtle Beach and many more destinations. The most important, however, were the flights from Cedar Rapids to Omaha, which enabled proud grandparents to see their only granddaughter, Regina.

In 2014, Chuck and Carol moved to Meth-Wick Retirement Community. After Carol’s death in 2024, Chuck made the move to Omaha, Nebraska to be near his daughter and son-in-law, Karen and Todd LeMense.

Chuck was a man of few words and had a quiet and dignified demeanor. Interested in everything and everyone, he made friends everywhere he went, including most recently at Cedarhurst Assisted Living in Omaha.

True to form, Chuck passed quietly on Thursday afternoon, January 15, 2026, with Karen and Todd at his side. A visitation will be held Saturday, January 24, 2026, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from 9:30 a.m., until the funeral mass at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery, Cedar Rapids. 

Chuck is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Karen and Todd LeMense, and granddaughter, Regina. Sisters Janie (Mike) Skelly and Jody (Doug) Duvall. Cousins, nieces and nephews and countless loving friends.

Memorials will be directed by the family to St. Vincent de Paul School and the Nebraska Humane Society.