Obituary of Charles William Supplee

Charles William Supplee of Minneapolis, Minnesota passed away peacefully on Monday, January 17, 2022 at the age of 102 and 9 months.

Chuck was born in Mediapolis, Iowa on April 8, 1919, one of seven children. Chuck graduated from Washburn High School in 1937. It was in high school that his love of tennis was born. After high school he attended Dunwoody Industrial Institute and trained to be a Lino typist in the printing industry. His life was interrupted by World War II, when he served in the US Army Quartermaster Corp, stationed in Hawaii.

After returning from the war, he met his future wife Shirley (Isenberg) at a dance at the Calhoun Club. They married in 1946 and remained married for 76 years. Together they raised 3 children, in south Minneapolis. They were very involved with their church and went on many Lay Witness missions, sharing their Christian faith throughout the Midwest. When his sons were in Scouting, Chuck was a Scout Committee President and loved to spend time camping with his son’s and their troop.

After retirement, Chuck returned to his youth sport of tennis. He helped co-found the Bloomington Senior Tennis League. Using his leadership skills, he found time to organize tennis camps, programs and events. Starting in 1991, he competed in National Senior Olympics all over the United States, until 2014, often winning gold or silver medals in singles and doubles tennis. He played tennis until the age of 98 and would have kept on playing if it was up to him. He was passionate about tennis and was inducted into the Minnesota Senior Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

Chuck loved to travel and visited many states and countries, often intent on discovering more about his family tree. He visited Scotland and France in the hope of meeting a distant relative, or reclaiming a long-lost castle. He could strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere and he had many friends. He will be missed by all who knew him and were touched by his gentle spirit.

Chuck is survived by his wife Shirley; sister Faye; daughter Eileen (Farrell), sons Joe and Paul; 5 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Preceded by granddaughter Rebecca Supplee and son in law, Ray Farrell.

We would like to thank the caregivers at the Minneapolis Veterans Home for the loving care that they gave him in the last 3 years of his life.

Chuck will be interred at Fort Snelling National Cemetery with military honors in a ceremony at a later date.