Born: January 18, 1940
Died: February 20, 2018
Charles B. Catlin came to Yale from a boarding school background. After 1 year at the North Country School, a junior boarding school in Lake Placid, NY, he attended and graduated from the Berkshire School.
At Yale Charles lived in Wright Hall freshman year and roomed with D. J. Zimmerman. He became a member of Jonathan Edwards but did not complete his Yale degree.
Charles returned to his hometown of Neenah, Wisconsin where he married raised a family and developed his business. He was president of Appleton Control Systems, a manufacturing company.
His widow Judy provided an essay which I quote in full:
Charlie left Yale early in his education but his love of learning never stopped. There would be no degree to mark his scholastic success in life but his curiosity and work ethics combined with his love of learning brought him happiness and personal success. He worked as a roustabout in the Texas oilfields, learned computer programming and took great interest in naval architecture. There seemed to be nothing he couldn’t master once it caught his interest. At mid-life his experiences led him to form a small engineering company that took him far and wide, working with the industries of paper, mining and defense.
While at Yale, Charlie formed a lifetime love of rowing. As an adult, his hours spent on rivers and lakes on his sliding seat, pulling on his Pocock oars were the best of times.
“Charlie,” she wrote, “was a very private person and never boastful. My hope is that he would not be embarrassed at reading my short essay.” Your scribe, in fact, believes he would be very proud.
His published death notice in the Appleton Post-Crescent highlights his close and deep family ties:
Charlie Catlin, 78 of Neenah, WI, passed away unexpectedly at home on February 20, 2018, He is survived by his beloved wife, Judy; his children, Claudia (Gabe) Ruiz, Chicago, IL; Nicole (Jay) Howard, Sister Bay, WI; his grandchildren: Lindsey Buksyk, Niko Ruiz and Dana Howard; and his great-grandchild, Harper Buksyk. He is further survived by a loving and supportive extended family. Charlie was a gentle and loving soul who was loved by many and will be greatly missed. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in his name to North Country School in remembrance of the wonderful years he spent there as a student.
Robert G. Oliver