Charles Beerens, Sr

Charles Albert Beerens, Sr., 91 of Fallowfield Township, died in a sudden roofing accident, on Sunday, May 24, 2009, at his farm. Charles, the son of Belgian immigrants, was born Dec. 8, 1917, in Fallowfield Township, a son of the late Jean Joseph and Marie Elizabeth Melenyzer Beerens. During the Great Depression of the 1930's, his family moved to Burbank, Calif., where he lost both his mother and brother. After the war, he resettled in Fallowfield Township at his beloved family farm to raise his family. Charles served in the Navy during World War II for over three years. He was on the USS Walke during the D-Day invasion of Normandy and later served on the USS John R. Pierce in the Pacific theater. He witnessed the Japanese surrender in Tokyo harbor in 1945. During the war, he married Juanita Dalton from eastern Kentucky, who served as a MASH nurse in Britain during the war. Charles was a consummate craftsman, who worked as an electrician for Bethlehem Steel and Washington Steel, while doing refrigeration as a side trade. He attended California College in the 1930's studying industrial arts until the outbreak of the war. After the war, he graduated from the Coyne Electrical College in Chicago, Ill. A woodworker, gunsmith, furniture maker, and farmer, Charles spent much of his time in the outdoors hunting and climbing the hills of northern Pennsylvania. A self provider and strong individualist who lived life on his own terms, he will be greatly missed by his friends and family. Surviving are his four children: Rosalind (James) Blair and Sherry (Jeffery) Sager, both of Fayette County, Joseph Charles Beerens of Pittsburgh and Charles Albert Beerens, Jr. of Fallowfield Township; seven grandchildren: Jennifer Blair Durham, Brandon Blair, Rachel Sager Lynch, Molly Sager, Matthew Sager, Amanda Jane Beerens and Madeline Beerens; and four great grandchildren. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Juanita in 1985; and a brother, Joseph Alfred Beerens. Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 26, 2009, in the MELENYZER-DUBARR FUNERAL HOMES AND CREMATION SERVICE, INC., 825 Fallowfield Ave., Charleroi. A funeral service will be held Wednesday, May 27, 2009, at 2 p.m. in the funeral home. Interment will follow in Maple Creek Cemetery.