Charles Robert Reid

Charles Robert “Chuck” Reid
passed away on Saturday February 22, 2020 in Carmel, IN. He was 92 years old.
He lived a busy and complete life and enjoyed every minute of it.
Born in 1927 in St Louis, MO, the year of Charles Lindberg’s first flight to Paris, he was instead named after his maternal grandfather, Charles. When he was just a few weeks old, his father tired of St. Louis and moved the family to Indianapolis, IN. After many moves in many years, Chuck eventually ended up in Carmel, IN.
Chuck graduated from Broad Ripple High School and Purdue University School of Aeronautical Engineering. With jobs scarce after the war, he spent a year of graduate study at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN.
He served 9 years with the Navy. First, as an electronic technician near the latter part of WWII and later during the Korean War as a Lieutenant and in charge of a squadron of anti-submarine aircraft.
Soon after that, he met the “love of his life,” Jean Rosemary and they moved to Wichita, KS, where he was a group leader in aircraft design for Cessna Aircraft Company. The best part of that life came with the adoption of twin babies, Matthew and Mark.
Heading back to Indiana and the start of a complete aircraft operation at the Purdue Airport in Lafayette brought in an even busier life. Reid Airways, and later the addition of Indiana Airways, brought scheduled flights around the Midwest. Prominent board members such as Purdue’s President brought help in growing his operation.
Unfortunately, adverse publicity toward aircraft safety brought economic problems for the industry and a complete career change for the Reid family. After 30 years in the aircraft industry, Chuck found great interest in the investment world and worked another 30 years with prominent investment firms, finishing with Merrill Lynch and Bank of America.
Chuck is survived by his son, Mark Reid (Kathryn) and grandchildren: Ty, and triplets, Gage, Trent, and Marque. Visitation will be held Monday March 9, 2020 from 10-11am at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 4780 E 126th St, Carmel, IN 46033. Funeral services will follow there at 11am. Online condolences may be shared at www.flannerbuchanan.com.