Charles W. Beirne

Obituary

Charles Beirne was born on June 3, 1929 in Watertown, South Dakota and died peacefully at home on October 31, 2018 in Chicago. He graduated from DePaul University with a BA in English Literature in 1952. He served in the U.S Army Corps of Engineers 1952-1954. He earned his MA in Literature in 1959. He was a teacher with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) for most of his career. One of his most satisfying times was directing high school musicals with his friend and colleague, Leonard Hurst, at Morgan Park High School. He also taught evening drama classes and directed plays at St. Xavier College. One of his roles was with WBEZ, developing and teaching broadcasting for gifted students. He later was promoted to the gifted coordinator for the city’s high schools. Charles retired in 1993 with 33 years of service with CPS. In 1954, he married Elizabeth Kelly who he met while a college student at DePaul University. They had nine children. She died in May of 1967. He married Norine Kennedy in December 1968. Norine brought three children into the family and in 1970 they added Amy making 13 altogether. The family lived in Harvey until moving to the Beverly area of Chicago in 1969. Charles was a proud Democrat and had strong social justice beliefs. He enjoyed discussing politics with his children and grandchildren. He moved a great deal in his early life due to The Great Depression and other challenges. As an adult, he was committed to staying in one place. He achieved this goal, living for 49 years in his Beverly home. Charles loved theater and was an actor in his youth, a director in his profession and theater buff throughout his life. He loved opera and had season tickets to both the Lyric Opera and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for much of his adult life. The family often produced plays to entertain themselves and unsuspecting guests. He enjoyed ballroom and ice dancing. He also taught his children to ice skate. He and Norine took up cross country skiing and explored many parks in the area this way. They also became avid bird watchers and as they aged, the bird feeder outside the dining room window provided much enjoyment. They traveled to National Parks each summer while raising their children. In retirement, they toured Europe, Ireland and visited family in California, Arizona and Alaska. Charles was a chess player. He had every generation of computerized chess game available and would play multiple games simultaneously. Charles also enjoyed tennis and continued to play into his 70’s. He was an enthusiastic fan of the sport and followed the tournaments very closely. He is survived by his children, Michael of Santa Clara, CA, Sharon (Gordon) Fuller of Columbia MD, Mary (John) Brubaker of Naperville, IL, Kathy (Dick) Callahan of Juneau, AK, David (Martha Stedman) of Tucson, AZ, John Ventrella, Mark Paul of Long Branch, NJ, Anne of Jacksonville, FL, Carol (Betty Julin) of Arlington Heights, IL, Chris (Nancy Davila) of Austin TX, Dan (Colleen) of Redmond, WA and Amy (Tom) Figel, his daughters-in-law Vivien Alsberg Beirne and Dodie Beirne. He is honored by the legacy of his 18 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren including: Evan (Jessica) Fuller and their children Maya and Naomi, Eliana (Ben) Holgate and their children Gabriel and Miriam, Matt (Jordan) Callahan, Terry Beirne, Neal Callahan, Karen Beirne, Clara Brubaker, Oliver Beirne, Hanna Brubaker, Liz Johnson, Rosalie Beirne, Lily Yellott, Liam Figel, Sean Figel, Nora Beirne, Sophie Figel, Erin Beirne and Quinn Beirne. He is also survived by his brother Edmund, sisters, Janet, Elaine (Paul) Raglow, Agnes (Diahann McConkey) and sister-in-law Mary Beirne. He is preceded in death by his first wife Elizabeth, second wife Norine, parents Martin and Agnes Beirne, brothers Patrick and Gregory. Donations in Charles’ name can be made to: the ACLU (https://action.aclu.org/give/tribute-aclu-illinois), The Lyric Opera, Beverly Art Center or WBEZ.