Obituary of F. Ross Chartley

Chartley, F. Ross - With profound sadness, the family of Fraser Ross Chartley, of Moncton and recently of Kenneth Spencer Memorial Home, announce his death on May 16, 2010 with loved ones at his side. Born in Bradford, PA, USA on May 18, 1922, Ross was the son of the late Henry Tschachtli and Isabelle Fraser Tschachtli and brother of Henry Jr., William, Harold and Agnes. Orphaned at 14, Ross was welcomed to Moncton by his aunt and uncle, Annie Fraser Robb and Bruce Robb and their children Fraser, Jean, Elizabeth and Douglas Robb. Ross was student in the first class to attend Moncton High School before joining the staff of Canadian National Railways until he enlisted in the RCAF. Following the attack on Pearl Harbour, Ross was honourably discharged from the Canadian Air Force to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. He was to spend nearly four years as an intelligence officer on Guam, Guadalcanal, Bougainville and other islands in the Pacific Theatre. After the war, Ross changed his name to the phonetic spelling, Chartley, and returned to the personnel office at CN where he remained until his retirement at 55. He then spent the next 10 years as a consultant to organizations such as CN Marine, VIA Rail, and Canada Post. Ross loved music and for more than 40 years added his rich bass voice to the barbershop harmony of the Rail City Chorus and the Atlanticaires Quartet and to the choir of Mountain View United Church. Ross turned the sod for the building of the church extension in the 1950's and served faithfully as elder and in many other capacities over the years. Ross was an avid fundraiser for charity, devoting many years to volunteer work such as team captain for the Cancer Society, long time secretary to the Moncton chapter of the barbershop chorus and as collector of hundreds of thousands of Campbells Soup labels to raise money for work in this area and abroad. Ross loved geography, travel, crossword puzzles, long car drives, British comedy and watching his family participate in sporting events whether it be a basketball court, hockey rink, baseball diamond or riding arena. He was always at the ready to play chauffeur to his mother-in-law, children and grandchildren, no questions asked, and his greatest disappointment was when he felt he had to retire his driver's licence due to failed vision. By example, he encouraged his family to give of themselves generously and to live with honour. His kind and loving spirit will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. For many, he was "the nicest man ever." In his quiet way Ross voiced much care and concern for his children and grandchildren, even to the very end. Ross will be deeply missed and forever cherished by his wife of 62 years, Marian Stevens Chartley, son Steven Chartley (Carolyn Ross), daughters Jane Chartley (Michael Taylor) and JoAnn Thompson Franklin (Ian Franklin) and grandchildren Ellis and Connor Chartley, Leigh Ann Owen (Darin Ellis), Shawn Taylor (Kristin), Allison and Kevin Thompson, Chris Franklin (Jennifer) and Julie Lizotte (Craig) and eight great grandchildren. Also survived by sister Elizabeth MacCallum, sisters-in-law Laura Stevens and Kaye Gardiner and brother-in-law Bob Stevens, many cherished nieces, nephews and cousins, and his 19-year-old cat Jenny. Visitation will be held at Riverview Funeral Home, 214 Pine Glen Road on Tuesday May 18th, 2010 from 7 to 9 p.m. The memorial service will be held Wednesday May 19th, 2010 at 4 p.m. at Mountain View United Church, MacBeath Avenue, Moncton. Interment will take place at a later date. In Ross's memory, donations may be made to the Cavalier Riding Club for the Disabled, the Mountain View United Church Memorial Fund, or the Kenneth Spencer Memorial Home. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Riverview Funeral Home 214 Pine Glen Rd. Riverview, NB (506) 857-9544. Online condolences can be made via www.tuttlefuneralhome.ca Service Information Saturday, May 22, 2010