Charles James Montalbano, age 77, of Chandler, Okla. passed away on Feb. 8, 2022.
Charles was born Aug.14, 1944 to the late James and Mary (Pelletiere) Montalbano in Chicago, Ill. He was a loving father to Charles Jr. and the late Marc; beloved brother to the late Annette (Thomas Moffat), the late Rita, the late James (Michele), Mary Jo (Edwin) Schillinger and Michael (Susan).
He was a close and dear friend to Wanda Wells of Chandler, Okla., and proud uncle to many nieces and nephews.
Charles was of Sicilian/Italian heritage, with all his grandparents being born in Italy. He had 17+ years of education in Catholic schools, including graduating summa cum laude from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and achieving an MBA degree from Loyola University-Chicago.
In addition to living in the Chicago area for many years, Charles also resided in Kingman, Ariz. and Santa Fe, N.M. before retiring in Chandler, Okla., where he loved the small-town atmosphere and the lower cost of living.
Charles began his career working for Continental Bank in Chicago, and then moved to the Midwest Stock Exchange in Chicago where he recorded the transactions of the day and created a program to track the transactions by computer. When he left the corporate world, he opened up a picture and art framing business where he also found a love of building Lego’s (a passion he shared with his sons and great nieces and nephews). Charles also had the artistic talent of jewelry making and woodworking, of which he frequently sold pieces on the Internet via E-Bay. He also had a green thumb, and using his fresh homegrown tomatoes and herbs he made a scrumptious Italian spaghetti dish, which he loved to share.
While living in Chandler, Charles enjoyed being a member of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.
A graveside memorial service and Rite of Committal will be held 10 am, July 20, 2022 at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Cemetery, Chandler, Okla.