IN LOVING MEMORY
Charles J Tomlinson
AUGUST 9, 1940 – JUNE 14, 2025

Charles "Tom" Tomlinson insisted that he would work right up until the day he died, and the very kind people who cared for him for the past 3.5 years at the Brookdale Silver Lake Memory Care facility made sure to "hire" him on a regular basis to assure him that he was a vital part of managing their programs. (They did also have to hide the candy dish and pens at the front desk whenever he was visiting the staff there.)

Charles resided at Brookdale as he suffered a steady decline due to Parkinson's dementia, which followed a work related fall and hip fracture in 2021. Thankfully, as his cognitive and physical faculties diminished, his capacity for joy and contentment came to the fore. He died peacefully in his sleep on the 14th of June, 2025.

The true measure of a person's life is in the service they offered to the world, and the love and happiness they derived from it. Charles served his country for decades, both as radioman in the US Navy and a civil servant in the US Army, after beginning his career path as a student of theater and art. Music and dance would remain a central focus of his life as he devoted years to his passion as a square dance caller, a love that he shared with his wife Violet Fay and family, as well as his dear friend Bob and his partner Lou. The square dance community was a great priority for Charles, and he continued his path of service by working with youth with intellectual challenges through the medium of dance as well as volunteering at the VFW.

Charles is survived by daughters CJ Tomlinson and Crystal Ann Jacobson, his twin sister Carol Hill, and a daughter by a previous marriage, Carla Jane Roope.