Charles (Chuck) W. Scurlock died at home in his sleep on April 12, 2022 after a long illness. He was born February 2, 1930 into a family that had migrated from Tennessee and Missouri to Detroit to find work in the early years of the Great Depression. He and his parents, Lester and Lillie Thigpen Scurlock, and his younger brother Willie lived in the midst of family, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins.
He married his high school sweetheart, Pat Haines in 1950. They had five children, Ann Bullard (Mike), John Scurlock (Ruth Fremson), Peter Scurlock (Amy Post), Susan Sharp, and David Scurlock (Lisa Noji).
Chuck was the first person in his family to go to college, graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in architecture. After a year at MIT he returned to Michigan and over the next 25 years Chuck worked for large Detroit firms and started two architectural firms designing schools, churches, low income housing, and hospitals.
In 1978, the family moved to the Northwest and Chuck joined the Seattle firm of Waldron, Pomeroy Polk, Foote, Smith and Akira. He and Pat separated in 1980. In 1982 he completed the master’s degree he started at MIT and married Ursula Roosen-Runge. Together they formed Strategic Learning Resources in 1984, an architectural and planning firm focusing on health and human services. They also adopted two children, Saroeun Bou (Engheap Div) and Kenneth Scurlock (Nickole Martinez). A move to Langley on Whidbey Island in 1993 brought them to what felt like their true home.
Chuck was a man of many talents and passions, a lover of poetry, an avid reader, and a systems thinker. His talents included woodwork, as displayed in his Langley home and an ability to fix almost anything. Along his professional path he diverged from architecture for a few years to develop and market software for intensive care units. In between, he sang tenor in choirs, took up the saxophone from his youth, repaired instruments for fun, and learned to play oboe and recorder, resulting in his participating in a local recorder group “Toute Suite”.
When he retired in his mid-70s he turned to physics and cosmology a life-long interest. He carried magnets in his pocket with which he entertained and educated friends about his model of the origin and structure of the universe, which he wrote about in two books.
He made many stalwart friends of all ages over the years, who lovingly described his wit, kindness, and brilliance, and him as a true renaissance man, mentor, and a brilliant soul “who never let us drop our constant questions about the meaning of life”.
In addition to his seven children and wife, Chuck leaves eight grandchildren, Aaron, Andrew, Danisha, Janessa, Malik, Lamiah, Jennifer, and Justin.
A private graveside service was held and a celebration of life to honor Chuck will be held in the summer for family and friends. In lieu of flowers please donate in his honor to a charity of your choice, the Southern Poverty Law Center, or the Whidbey Island Music Festival.
