Obituary of Charles William Averill

Charles W. Averill, 96, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on November 8, 2018 at The Laurels in Pineville, NC.  Charles was born on March 31, 1922 in Pepin, Wisconsin, to William Averill and Rose Brenner Averill. He grew up on the family dairy farm in Durand, Wisconsin, and attended both grammar and high schools in his home town.  After graduation, he joined the United States Navy where he achieved the rank of Gunner's Mate First Class. He was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the USS Honolulu, when it was attacked on December 7, 1941.  He proudly recounted his experiences in the Navy throughout his life and was a proud “Pearl Harbor Survivor.”

 In 1945, he married Lorraine Steeber Averill in New Jersey and they were married for 63 years before her passing in 2008.  His happiest years were spent living in Freehold Township, New Jersey, where he and Lorraine lived for more than 40 years.  He spent his career working in the lumber industry; first, with Weyerhaeuser Lumber Company in Port Newark, NJ and then with Jaeger Lumber Co. in Stirling, NJ, where he worked until he was 83 years old. 

Charles is survived by his devoted sister-in-law, Jerelyn Toath, and her husband John, of Stallings, NC; brother-in-law, Carl Applegate, and his wife Connie, of Cortland, NY; sister, Rosemary Metcalf of Durand, Wisconsin; and many nieces and nephews and their families.  Burial will be Friday, Nov. 16, 2018, at Brig. Gen. Wm. Doyle Cemetery in Wrightstown, NJ.  Arrangements are being handled by Freeman Funeral Home in Freehold.