Charles "Charlie" Perrien

Charles Hugh Charlie Perrien, 75, of Great Falls, passed away peacefully September 4, 2015 from congestive heart failure. He was at his home surrounded by loving family and many angels watching down on him from heaven above.A celebration of life with military honors will be held on Friday, September 11, 2015 at 4:00 PM at Schnider Funeral Home. Burial will take place at a later date in Denison, Iowa.Charlie was born June 14, 1940 in Omaha, Nebraska to Celeste Leone and Price LeRoy Perrien. He was raised in Denison, Iowa; the third child of eight. He attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic School and Denison High School. He joined the Navy in 1958 and served on the USS Oriskany out of San Diego, California. It is there that he met Marna Ziehme and they married February 20, 1961. Upon discharge from the Navy they returned to Iowa where Charlie worked for Iowa Beef Packers. Their daughter, Darci was born in 1961 and son Dominic in 1962. In 1965, the family moved to the San Francisco Bay area where they welcomed two more sons, Damian born in 1966 and Douglas 1968. Charlie attended meat cutters trade school and began a long career with Lucky Stores, eventually working his way into management. In the late 1970's he and Marna divorced and Charlie returned to Omaha. He met Margaret Marge Narak and they married August 24, 1979. Charlie loved temperate weather (and moving) and so he and Marge returned to the west coast residing in Albany, Oregon for 25 years.Charlie had a lifelong dream to be a truck driver and he did fulfill this dream, trucking until 2004. Charlie worked for McKay Truck Line, PCI Protected Cartage Inc., and Tri-West Transportation all out of the Albany Oregon area. He was well known in the trucking community throughout the Interstate 5 corridor and highly respected by his coworkers for his dedication to the job as well as his colorful sense of humor. Charlie was a fixture in the Albany community and became family to those who loved and knew him.Charlie and his wife eventually returned to Omaha where his beloved Marge passed away from breast cancer in 2007. It was then that Charlie's health and spirit began to deteriorate. Needing more help, his daughter Darci made him (his words) come to Great Falls where she resides.Charlie loved to read cowboy books, and if he didn't have baseball or football on the TV, he was watching the western channel or old classic movies. He loved to share trivia about actors, sports figures and history. He enjoyed good country music; Merle Haggard being his all-time favorite. A simple man with no desire for materialism, he valued good conversation. He valued education. You never had to wonder where you stood with Charlie-outspoken was his middle name. And if he wasn't teasing you, you had to wonder what might be wrong. You had to know Charlie to appreciate his special sense of humor. Charlie was stubborn, but his tenacity helped him brave through his long illness, very rarely complaining about his difficult circumstances. Above all, Charlie loved his four children with all his heart and soul. His greatest desire for each one of them was to do better than he did. He passed peacefully having accomplished his business here on earth. His spirit lives forever in our hearts.Charlie is survived by a daughter, Darci (Scott) Miranti of Great Falls; sons Dominic (Michelle) Perrien of Yucca Valley, CA, Damian Perrien of Fremont, CA, and Douglas (Lynette) Perrien of Great Falls; sisters Marjorie (Artie) Grant of Denison, IA and Noreen Merriam of Boone, IA; brother Ronald Perrien of Denison, IA; step-son Stephen (Carrie) Narak of Papillion, NE; step-grandchildren Lauren and Stephen; grandchildren Garrett Perrien, Taylor Nelson, Devin Perrien, Nicholas Perrien, Hannah Perrien, and Chase Perrien; great-grandchildren Damian Perrien and Skye Nelson; many loving cousins; nieces and nephews; and one aunt and one uncle.He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret Narak; his parents; brothers Joseph Perrien, Gerald Perrien, Paul Perrien and Mearl Perrien; and great-granddaughter Payton Rae Nelson.