Obituary of Chuck Curry

CHARLES (CHUCK) CURRY A Graveside Service for Chuck Curry, 79 of Chico, will be held on Friday, September 16, 2011 at Chico Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. Charles "Chuck" Curry was born on February 10, 1932 in Boone, Iowa to Roy and Carrie Curry. He was the youngest of five. He lived most of his youth in Des Moines and Perry, Iowa before moving to Pasadena, CA. There he met and married Nedra Walston. As a boy, he loved to create and build models. As a young man, he worked a variety of jobs such as setting pins at a bowling alley, short order cook, paving roads, pumping gas and starting his career in auto repair. He worked as a heliarc welder at Fletcher Aviation and as a mechanic at Wortmans automotive, both in Pasadena. At Wortmans, Chuck became the exclusive body, paint and service mechanic. He continued to perfect his skills until moving his young family to Chico in 1969, where he opened his own business, Curry's Automotive. It took him a while to get established, but once he did he became well known for his broad mechanical knowledge, honest and dependable service. All of these skills made him a magician at creating his own specialized classic vehicles and hot rods. Many of his vehicles have won awards at local car shows. Some of the vehicles he has restored were purchased by and are on display at a classic car museum in Branson, Missouri. Chuck also enjoyed deer hunting, deep sea fishing and boating. His family spent many a summer weekend camping and skiing at Black Butte Lake. Horseshoes, motorcycles, racing cars at the Silver Dollar Speedway, sponsoring local teams and community organizations were among all that he participated in. He was a member of Elks, NRA, North Valley Unique Car Club, Vintage Chevrolets of America, Model A Ford Club, National Street Rod Association and Plymouth Owners Club, just to name a few. Chuck had a mischievous grin, amazing blue eyes and a wonderful sense of humor. A self made man with great work ethic, love of family and friends, he fought a short but valiant battle against Leukemia. He will be greatly missed. He is preceded in death by his wife, Nedra. He is survived by his two daughters, Norene Laws (Jess) and Lesley Curry (Karen); granddaughter, Amber; two great-granddaughters, and sister-in-law, Shirley Prestesater.