Charles Warren Kewish

August 6, 1942 - May 25, 2020

Our beloved father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, Charles Warren Kewish, returned to his Heavenly Father on Monday, May 25, 2020. He passed peacefully at his home in Provo, Utah, surrounded by all seven of his devoted children. He was our patriarch and our guide. He was born on August 6, 1942, the eldest child of Charles Harlan Kewish and Anna Marie Lillevick. His family lived in Woodside, on the wartime California coast, where his father was active in the Merchant Marine Band. And as a true ‘war baby,’ his mother traveled to have him near her family in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was born at LDS Hospital. Once the war ended, the family relocated to southern California where he spent his childhood. First living in Compton next to his paternal grandparents, ‘Charlie’ attended Pioneer Elementary school until the 5th grade. The family then moved to Costa Mesa, California, next to his maternal grandparents, where he attended 6th grade at Lincoln Elementary and Junior High in Costa Mesa. He loved the pristine Newport Coast of the early 50’s, and spent time surfing, sailing, diving, and fishing with his Norwegian grandfather. The family would marvel that they could regularly hear the shotguns of the duck hunters in the Back Bay from their home. He was proud of his Manx and Norwegian heritage and loved his family history, which he passed along to his children. His interactions with his Norwegian family included an amazing odyssey when he was 15 years old. His Uncle Finn, who lived in Norway, came into Long Beach that summer as the captain of a cargo ship with the Westfal-Larsen Steamship Company. Somehow, ‘Chuck’ (as he was now called) decided to join the crew and work on the ship as it sailed down the coast of Central and South America, through the Panama Canal, and on to Argentina. After months of hard work, and rarely even seeing his Uncle, he was left in Buenos Aires with what he thought was enough money to fly home to LA. But when he got to the airport, he only had enough money for a ticket to Miami. So he flew to Miami and bought a bus ticket to Salt Lake City to ask for help from another Uncle, turning 16 years old during the Greyhound ride. But when he reached Salt Lake City he found that his Uncle had died, so he hitchhiked from Salt Lake City home to Los Angeles with a few Marines—just in time to start his Junior year of High School. He had a grand sense of adventure and taught his kids to see the world. By high school, the family had relocated back to the LA area, living in Lynwood, where he attended Lynwood High School. He was a multi-sport athlete but found his most success running track. He also worked hard at several jobs and took great pride in customizing and racing his hot rod. It was here in Lynwood as a teenager where he was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an association that would deeply define the rest of his life. With precious support of dear friends and hometown church leaders, he attended Brigham Young University as a freshman and worked at the BYU Motor Pool. After some time at BYU, he served as a missionary for the Church in Norway, the land of his heritage. After his missionary service, he returned to BYU where he was a middle-distance runner on the track team and, most importantly, where he met the love of his life, Carol Ann Mallea. Chuck and Carol met in a Social Dance class at BYU and they became engaged just prior to her graduation. They were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple on June 19, 1964 and are now enjoying a blissful reunion together. Following graduation from BYU they moved to Pensacola, Florida, where Chuck entered the U.S. Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School in 1966. He graduated 1st in his class with the highest combined score across all disciplines and received his commission as an Ensign in the United States Navy. Shortly thereafter, an injury limited his ability to serve and he was honorably discharged from the Navy. Needing a new plan, he was accepted to and entered Harvard Business School and earned an MBA in Marketing. He then started a successful working career across many industries in many locations, but soon settled in Anaheim, CA and Morgan Hill, CA for nearly 30 years, where we continue to have many beloved family friends. Though he ran shorter distances at BYU as a young man, he fell in love with long distance running and ended up completing over 30 marathons. Later in life, Chuck and Carol moved back to Provo, UT, just up the street from their alma mater BYU. There they led an active retirement, enjoying their extended family of 25 grandchildren and serving as volunteers at the BYU Art Museum, professors at the Chinese Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, and as missionaries for the Church in Hong Kong. Dad will be remembered for his quick wit, unfailing work ethic, love of laughter, strong testimony, and interest in connecting with everyone he met. He dutifully sent his children and friends newspaper clippings with short notes on topics that interested them, even decades after he could have just sent them via email. He served in Boy Scouts of America and Harvard Business School Alumni leadership positions and was a natural teacher to those around him. He was inquisitive and intellectual and loved learning. His lectures and lessons were legendary. Sometimes he wouldn’t even let you know if you got the right answer to his questions unless he was sure you were actually thinking about it. He never lost a game of trivial pursuit…until they came out with a Kids Edition and he didn’t know whether or not Papa Smurf shaved. He always dispensed valuable advice, from useful tips like “don’t spit in the wind,” to deeper lessons like “Kewishes never quit.” He loved music and had a powerful tenor voice. He loved to sing in chorales and choirs and adored Carol’s beautiful soprano voice. He taught himself to play the guitar and taught his family countless songs that they sang together on Family Nights. He worshiped God in both word and deed and was devoted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as Gospel Doctrine teacher (his favorite), Seminary teacher, the Bishop of the Anaheim 2nd Ward, and as High Councilor. His most sacred possession is surely his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and his life reflected how important it was to him as a faithful member of the Church. He is survived by his children Carolyn Claire, Morgan Hill CA, Kristina Wihongi (Vaughn), Alpine UT, Heather Condiff (Graigg), Kearney, MO, Joe Kewish (Liz), Doha, Qatar, Holly Lesue (Dave), Provo UT, James Kewish (Barbi), Syracuse UT, and Jonathan Kewish (Wendy), Spanish Fork UT, his 25 grandchildren, and his sister Kathy McDevitt. He was predeceased by his loving wife, Carol Ann (Mallea) Kewish, his parents, and his brother, Ron Kewish. All are welcome to attend a public viewing on Saturday, May 30, at 9:30 a.m. at Utah Valley Mortuary, located at 1966 West 700 North in Lindon, UT. A private family ceremony and interment will be held after the viewing and broadcast via Zoom. The Zoom link is https://workfront.zoom.us/j/5900917713 The family would like to express heartfelt thanks to so many longtime friends who have extended their condolences at this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages a donation to the Perpetual Education Fund or the Missionary Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.