Charleen McHale-Zettl passed on 19 Sep surrounded by her children. She lived 90 event filled years and is survived by her children Mary, RoseAnne and Gary, and 2 granddaughters. She was from a long time Bremerton family connected to the Navy Shipyard. She attended Star of the Sea & Bremerton High class of ’48. Her first real job took her to Boeing Seattle as an admin worker. There she met a dashing Air Force pilot, Bernie Zettl, who snuck her on to the prototype Boeing 707, wearing a parachute for her first ever airplane ride! They married a year later, joining the military family, and making many life-long friends. Charleen continued federal civil service work. In Dayton she worked in the office that developed the F-111. 20 years later her son piloted F-111's into harms way. She returned to Bremerton in the 80s and worked for the Red Cross. After her retirement she was a volunteer for 25+ years at the Puget Sound Navy Museum running the gift shop. Charleen led a life of service before self, qualities she inherited from this fine city of artisans, shipwrights and servicemen. In memory of her, please consider supporting the Navy Museum via an Amazon “smiles" login where a small percentage of each purchase goes to the museum at no additional charge.

Mary Catherine was born in Pocatello, Idaho, as the first child of Charles T. (Red) McHale and Olga Schmidt McHale. The family settled in Bremerton, where it grew to seven; Mary, Rose, Francis (Toni), Terry Couse (all deceased), Charleen Zettl, PJ Lund (Bremerton), and Edward (Camarillo, CA). An alumna of Star of the Sea elementary school and Bremerton high school (class of 1940), she headed to Chicago to attend Mundelein College, including study abroad in South Hampton, England. In 1943, Mary joined the U.S. Army out of Ft. Lewis, Washington. She supported the war effort until its end in 1945 and returned to college at Seattle University. In 1950, after a few years in the private sector, Mary returned to active duty with the Army and was stationed in Ft. Ord, California.

The Monterey Bay area became her life-long home and she made a 44-year long career out of administrative support for the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio there (this included a 10-year stint in Washington, D.C.). She was a life-long member of Altrusa International and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. Her Catholic faith was unwavering and demonstrated by her excitement to bundle up in her winter-woolies and stand at 4:00 am, in the freezing winds of Laguna Seca to see and hear Pope John Paul II.

Travel was a passion for her. If a friend suggested a trip to Europe, South America, or the Vatican, she was packed and ready to go… always toting a 35mm camera and a bag full of film. She had friends and a large, extended family all over the United States and would visit them regularly. She was an oral historian and could give you details of your own hometown that even you didn’t know. The constant adventurer, Mary would never take the same route home from anywhere. Between the St. Angela Merici parish and the family home in Pacific Grove, it could take hours, with a cruise along the bay, or 17-Mile Drive, through the Presidio, up and down Prescott Avenue, or even a stop at Dennis the Menace park. Her nieces and nephews were always entertained and scared to death by her lack of attention to the road.

Mary moved back to Bremerton in 2006 and spent the last four years at Later Years Adult Family Home. The owner, Tammy and staff took wonderful care of her and enjoyed her feisty nature. She was an independent person, doing as she pleased until the end. Her family would like to thank everyone for their compassion.

Besides her two sisters and brother, Mary (Auntie Cathie to many of us) is survived by twelve nieces and nephews and thirteen great nieces and nephews

March 10, 1925 To June 10, 2006

Frances A. "Toni" McHale, 81, of Bremerton died Saturday. She was born in Seattle to Charles and Olga (Schmidt) McHale. She attended Bremerton High School, and worked as an accountant for KBRO. She also worked with the Naval Post Graduate School, Fleet Numerical Weather Facility in Monterrey, Calif., the U.S. State Department in Guatemala and Keyport Naval Torpedo Station. Ms. McHale was an accomplished seamstress and knitter. She was an active member of St. Angela's Catholic Church. She was preceded in death by her sisters, Anna Barry and Theresa Crouse. She is survived by her brother, Edward McHale; sisters, P.J. Lund (Ron), Charleen Zettl and Mary Catherine McHale; her cousin, Noray Larson; and lifelong friends, Frances and Walter McConnell, Jeannie Rowlett and Jo Lauth. Visitation: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Friday at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, with a service to follow.