Ronnie Ray Charles "Chuck" WURTSBAUGH

Ronnie Ray Charles Wurtsbaugh, though mostly he answered to Chuck, 70, most recently of St. Peters, Missouri passed away on Monday, November 26, 2018 at Barnes Jewish Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He was born in Marion, Ohio on January 21, 1948. The son of Laurabelle Mars (nee Kuba) he was raised by her to believe in the value of service to others and from that belief he joined the US Army at the age of 17, where he went on to serve with distinction in several career fields to include combat engineering, heavy equipment mechanic - which would later lead to a multitude of harrowing shade tree mechanic adventures - and logistical management for the next 28 years. He also served as a municipal police officer for several years. During that proud journey he met and married Susan Wurtsbaugh (nee Gaddis) and her two sons KC Wurtsbaugh and Craig Wurtsbaugh, whom he raised as his own. From that family, his family, came six new families; Debra Wurtsbaugh (nee Buchanan), who along with KC, are the parents of Gage Wurtsbaugh and Miranda Wurtsbaugh. KC, later, brought in Sandra Black and her two sons Gabriel and Zachary. Debra would then bring Rob Meier in and Craig would bring Sherri Goepel into the family with her son Anthony. Not long after the dust began to settle from these expansions Gage would bring Delores Mollett into the family and they would have 3 sons; Gavin, Zaylen and Nolan. Thus inspired, Miranda then brought in Chris Mitchell and they had a daughter, Ariel. All of these families, his survivors, spouse, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, knew Chuck as Honey (though this was reserved for only his wife of 39 years lest you risk his guttural "animal" snarling sneer and a steely fingered poke to the ribs), or Pawpaw or simply as "my dad, Chuck". But regardless of what they called him they all also knew him as the reassuring face that would drive into the night to "save" them after an icy car wreck or leave his front row seat without complaint at the high school production of the King and I to retrieve a forgotten pair of Royal Pantaloons so the Prince of Siam could go on with his modesty intact or see him turn off his beloved "B" rated Saturday morning martial arts binge-a-thon to figure out and fix whatever was causing one of their cars to make some unholy racket - after he made sure they got where they needed to be and waited in his car to bring them back. In short, he was their dependable foundation often at the expense of his own comfort when he could have chosen to be anything else. He is and will continue to be deeply missed even as his example is carried on by those left behind. It was once said that Chuck never knew a stranger, for he loved few things more then swapping stores with the many new faces he met along the way and he would talk to just about anybody. But there may be a better way to remember him and that is he knew many strangers but he almost never left without a new friend. Please join us as we celebrate Chuck and his life by partaking in his favored past time of sharing stories and memories. There will be a Memorial at Alternative Funeral & Cremation Services, 2115 Parkway Drive, St. Peters, MO 63376, on Wednesday, December 05, 2018 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. Flowers or memorials can be sent to funeral home in care of the Wurtsbaugh family.

Ronnie Ray Charles "Chuck" WURTSBAUGH

January 21, 1948 - November 26, 2018