Charlanne Arthur

          Charlanne Arthur BA. BSN. M.A.T. “Char” passed into her next life on January 24, 2020. She spent her last moments here with her husband Peter, her daughters Erica and Malia and her sister Mary. She was listening to her grandson Xander singing with his (Grand)Papa's band mates.

          CHAR: Fun. Supportive.  Remembered everything.  Warm. Avid bird and wildlife observer. Lovely. Direct. A great friend. Mariner fan.  Comfortable in her own skin. A self-proclaimed “survival cook”.  Funny. Owner of the greatest laugh. Bi-lingual since she was nearly fluent in Pidgeon English-yeah? Honest. A devoted, fair, firm and trusted educator to struggling students, all while being fun.  Beautiful. Lover of Christmas. A beloved Nonna to Xander and Jackson. Open. Full of common sense. Accepting, trusting, and comfortable to be with. A loving, smart and wise Mom to Malia and Erica. Wife and very best friend to Peter for 50 years which equates to 150 years when married to a musician.

          CHAR LOVED: driving her Mustang with the top down and the music cranked. Malasadas in Kailua. Birthdays. Chili lights. Crosswords. Beignets in NOLA. Reading. Museums. Costco (the Mother Ship). Golf. Shuffle board with mates in Paris. The Moose Meadow Dance Club. Smores @ 4. Buying flowers in order to watch Pete plant them. The search for the great pretzel in Germany. Helping children. Barcelona. Singing when no one was listening- the most lovely music Pete ever heard. Hummingbirds aka “Honey Birds”. Shopping in Nelson BC. Candy Crush. Being a softball pitcher. Astoria, Sunset boat putts. Feeding her children “Dust Burgers”. Comfy Cozy PJ's. Card games with her students.  Lady bug luck. A taxi driver in Naples. School volunteering. Tyrone, Kitty, Nadine, Ava and Gardner. Dinner with friends in Sandpoint. Historical Novels. Reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” to students for twenty five years. Time on the deck. Music: Dr. John, Etta James, Mihana, the Stones, Smokey, Fitz and the Tantrums, Dusty, Chris Isaak, Zydeco, Braddah IZ, Jackie Gleason, James Hunter and Stagecoach West, most especially, with anything Randy sings. Zombie movies. The Hawaiian Islands. Watching uniformed school children awed by the Crown Jewels in London. Storms on the river. Searching for the ultimate Reuben across the land. Laughing. Life. People. Her family.

          Charlanne was born to Jack and Lucianne Bartol in Seattle, WA. She had two sisters Bette and Mary (Dee Dee). Some of her best times were summers spent in Grand Coulee WA with her maternal grand parents, John and Lucy Belle Heidt. She felt special there. Her Grandfather built a motel in her name called the “Charlann”, which was misspelled by the sign painter who left out the letter “e” at the end of her name. This was just the start of her beautiful name being a challenge the rest of her life.

She moved to Spokane after graduating from Sammamish High School in 1968. In the summer of 1969 while working at Rockwood Clinic she met Pete. Softball brought them together and they were married in 1970.

          Char made many sacrifices unselfishly helping her family earn their degrees. This, in family lore, has given her honorary degrees from Carroll College (Erica), the University of Portland and the Portland Art institute (Malia) and both Gonzaga University and Whitworth University (Pete). Of course, Summa Cum Laude!

          Char wished for a party with music, laughter and fun as a way to gather together to celebrate her life. She did not want a formal service. This party will take place in the spring in Spokane at a location to be decided upon. It will be open to all.

          Her family has decided to honor her love of school children by asking for gifts to the “Charlanne Memorial Fund” at State Bank Northwest, 9727 N. Nevada St. Spokane, WA 99218. This will allow the family to continue their volunteer work while partnering with the Moran Foundation, The Ted Degrood Foundation and InvestED. The focus will remain helping children struggling with poverty in area schools, most especially the north side of Spokane. Please make checks out to Peter L. Arthur with “The Charlanne Memorial Fund” in the memo field. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Charlanne Arthur, please visit our floral store.