On April 1, Charlie would have celebrated his 104th Birthday.

Services were held on Saturday, April 1st at 2:00 p.m. at the Ascension Luthern Church, 7100 N. Mockingbird Lane, Scottsdale. 

In honor of Charlie we also celebrated his life on April 3, 2006 at Scottsdale Rotary Park.

Charlie's Obituary from the Arizona Republic

Charlie Minning, born, April 1, 1902 in Baltimore, MD, passed away March 13, 2006 in Scottsdale, AZ. His mother died when he was two years old and his father was a merchant seaman so Charlie spent his early years in a home for destitute children in Philadelphia. He never graduated from high school but never stopped educating himself even up to his last days. He moved to California in 1925 and while working for the Du Pont Corporation in the aircraft product division, he sold the industrial finish that was used on Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis. His first airplane ride was a test flight with Wiley Post. Charlie moved to Arizona in 1942 to form Arizona Distributing Company. He served as President of the Arizona Wholesale Wine and Liquor Association. After retiring from business 1965 he focused his boundless energy toward politics. He served as finance chairman for Jack Williams' campaign for governor in 1967 and was later appointed chairman of the Employment Security Commission. He worked very closely with then State Senator Sandra Day O'Connor in creating the Arizona Dept.of Economic Security in 1974. Charlie and his late wife, Gerry met in Alaska in 1941 and were married in 1942. They were frequent hosts of parties with friends and started their extensive world travels in 1960. They loved traveling around the world usually with fellow Phoenicians, always seeking adventure together and often traveling without advance reservations wanting to experience the culture. Gerry passed away in 1990 and in 1995 Charlie moved to Scottsdale House where in he enjoyed the companionship of Todd Orme. He joined The Phoenicians, (Phoenix Chamber of Commerce Committee) in 1958 and continued to be active as an honorary member up to his death. Charlie was an active member of Scottsdale Rotary Club, attending weekly meetings since he joined in 1979 and was usually the first one to ask the speaker a pertinent question. Charlie was an inspiration that one is never too old to learn new things. To have lived almost 104 years, he possessed great longevity genes, but was always young in spirit and heart. Survivors include: daughters and sons-in-law, Sally & Bill Shoemaker of Santa Rosa California, Nancy and Gordon Nelson of Castle Rock, Colorado, and brother Paul Minning of Claremont, California. A Celebration of his Life and his 104th birthday, will be held April 1 at 2:00 PM, Ascension Lutheran Church, 7100 N. Mockingbird Lane, Scottsdale. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Youth Scholarship, Scottsdale Rotary Club Foundation, P.O. Box 30483, Phoenix, AZ 85046.

The 1st One Hundred Years......

From the June 2002 "Rotarian" Magazine

Milestones

Charlie Minning, a member of the Rotary Club of Scottsdale, Ariz., USA, celebrated his 100th birthday on 1 April. A charter member of the Rotary Club of Phoenix West, Charlie worked in the wholesale liquor business before retiring. A member of the Scottsdale club since 1979, Charlie has 40 years of Rotary service under his belt.

Over the years, Charlie has traveled extensively, and he regularly shares his experiences and photography during lectures and speeches in the Scottsdale area. A spry centenarian, he still drives and is known for his sharp sense of humor.

Charlie celebrated his milestone birthday in tandem with the dedication of "The Spirit of Unity" flagpole memorial at Scottsdale Rotary Park. In honor of his continued support of Rotary ideals and his birthday, Charlie was selected to raise the flag at the dedication.