Charles Cuba
Cuba, Charles Feb. 19, 2011 (65 years old). Charles was survived by his loving wife Chris, adoring children Colin and Caitlin, his siblings Carol (Harold) Messler, Sue (Dale) McCoy, Nancy (Harry) Wilson, Gail (John) Schrock and John (Theresa) Cuba. He was beloved Uncle Charles and friend to many.
Charles was passionate about politics, sports and travel. A champion of the underdog he was never afraid to speak his mind. His travels took him many places where he was known to chase bears and other wildlife to fulfill his adventurous spirit.
There will be a celebration of his life at St. James the Greater in Dogtown at 10:30 AM Saturday February 26th.
Every single one of the countless memories I have of Charles, from grade school through adulthood, is a happy one. He was a true individual and I am so very glad to have know him.
Our condolences go out to Chris, Colin and Caty. You are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. — Becky, Billy, Alex & Maggie MacFarlane
I miss my many political conversations with Charles the most. They were stimulating, sraight forward and current. He never hesitated to say exactly how he felt and quite often we felt the same way about many issues. It was like getting the morning news from him because he kept himself informed about the things that were important to him. Rest in peace, my friend.
I enjoyed talking with Charles as he delivered the mail and greetings to me at the Missouri Mid-South Conference Office and Eden Seminary. He was a kind and caring person. He will be missed.
I wish to extend my condolences to Charles Cuba’s wife and children and to his sisters and brother and all their families. Charles Cuba and I were close friends in our youth, and I wish we would have remained in touch as adults. We had many great times together. Here are a few memories.
Charles and I went to St. Wenceslaus Grade School together—kindergarten and all eight grades (I think Charles began kindergarten there). (We called him “Chick” in grade school as far back as I can remember, but I do not know how he got that nickname.) He lived with his family in the 3200 block of Minnesota Avenue, and I lived in the 3400 block with my Mom, sister, and grandparents. His family lived in an apartment that his grandfather built. His grandparents lived on one side, and Charles and his family lived on the other side on the first floor. His parents were kind and generous people, and I especially remember Mrs. Cuba driving groups of grade school kids around to various functions. In the fall of 1959 she also drove us each morning to high school when I still lived at my grandma’s. I also remember all the sisters that Charles had, especially Carol who was just a few years younger. While we were in college, Mrs. Cuba had another son, whom I do not remember meeting. My Mom also had another son around the same time. He is twenty years younger than me.
Charles and I began to hang out together with others beginning in sixth grade. On Friday evenings in seventh and eighth grade various members of our class would get together for a “dance party” with each class mate alternately hosting the party at his or her home. Both Charles and I would go each week. I remember one Friday night in the fall of 1957 when we all went outside to look for Sputnik which had just been launched by Russia and was the first satellite launched by man. Sometimes we would go to St. Anthony’s parish on Friday night because that parish had an indoor roller skating rink. Sometimes on a Saturday afternoon a group of us would take the bus (with transfers to the Grand Avenue bus) and go see a movie at one of the big theaters on Grand—the Fox, the St. Louis, and the Loew’s Orpheum—or else downtown to the Ambassador or the Loew’s State. Around eighth grade we joined the Catholic Youth Club (CYC) and went on the Admiral and on hay rides all the way out past Highway 141 in St. Louis County at Valley Mount Ranch. (We really thought we were going way out into the country—and it was back then.) By eighth grade Randy Batek, Charles, and I hung out together. We took some rather long bike rides in the summer of 1959 after finishing grade school. My Mom had remarried and my family had moved out to the Grant’s Farm area that spring, and one day Charles, Randy, and I biked round trip from his house to my new house and back. Another time we biked to downtown. There were no bike lanes in those days. We also took Red Cross swimming lessons at the Marquette Park pool in June 1959 because Charles and Randy did not know how to swim.
Charles and I began to hang out together with others beginning in sixth grade. On Friday evenings in seventh and eighth grade various members of our class would get together for a “dance party” with each class mate alternately hosting the party at his or her home. Both Charles and I would go each week. I remember one Friday night in the fall of 1957 when we all went outside to look for Sputnik which had just been launched by Russia and was the first satellite launched by man. Sometimes we would go to St. Anthony’s parish on Friday night because that parish had an indoor roller skating rink. Sometimes on a Saturday afternoon a group of us would take the bus (with transfers to the Grand Avenue bus) and go see a movie at one of the big theaters on Grand—the Fox, the St. Louis, and the Loew’s Orpheum—or else downtown to the Ambassador or the Loew’s State. Around eighth grade we joined the Catholic Youth Club (CYC) and went on the Admiral and on hay rides all the way out past Highway 141 in St. Louis County at Valley Mount Ranch. (We really thought we were going way out into the country—and it was back then.) By eighth grade Randy Batek, Charles, and I hung out together. We took some rather long bike rides in the summer of 1959 after finishing grade school. My Mom had remarried and my family had moved out to the Grant’s Farm area that spring, and one day Charles, Randy, and I biked round trip from his house to my new house and back. Another time we biked to downtown. There were no bike lanes in those days. We also took Red Cross swimming lessons at the Marquette Park pool in June 1959 because Charles and Randy did not know how to swim.
Charles and I both went to St. Louis University High School. Randy Batek went to CBC. Unfortunately during our whole time in high school Charles and I did not attend even one class together. In high school Tom Landolt, Charles, and I hung out. We often triple dated since my Mom and step Dad would allow me to use one of their cars. For awhile we were all dating girls from Ursuline Academy. Because everyone lived so far apart, I would drop off Charles last before I went home. When we got to his house we would often talk for a half hour or longer about solving our problems and those of the world. Charles and I also worked one summer as busboys at The House of Maret restaurant and beer garden on Lindbergh Boulevard in Sunset Hills. Some summer evenings a group of us would go to Cliff Cave Park after dark and climb the bluffs to look out over the Mississippi; one time on a summer weekday we went through the whole of Cliff Cave and came out the other end and at first could not find our way back to the car through the woods; while we were going cross country a policeman stopped us and almost arrested us because he thought we were two convicts that had escaped and supposedly were in that area; one time we went to Meramec State Park (Carol Cuba and I were on a date; I do not remember whom Charles went with)—besides picnicking and swimming we explored a cave that must have had about a foot of wet clay and muck because it seemed to take forever to get through the cave and the clay kept pulling our shoes off when we would take a step.
We slowly drifted apart in college when Charles went to St. Louis University and I went to University of Detroit. For a few years we did get together when I was back in town. In particular I remember one weekend in January 1965 during the semester break (school semesters in those days went from Labor Day until mid January (first semester) and then late January until late May / early June (second semester)—so you got two winter breaks in those days one for the Christmas holidays and one between the semesters in the latter part of January). That weekend in January, we went to a party in Chicago hosted by one of my classmates from University of Detroit. Charles knew a girl from St. Louis who was going to a college in Lake Forest in the northern suburbs of Chicago and who came to the party. I was home in St. Louis for the semester break. Charles’s parents let us use their car for the weekend to drive to Chicago. It was below zero in Chicago and the car’s heater was not only broken but also the outside air vent on the driver’s side was failed in open position so that the driver had cold air blowing on his leg all the time even with a rag stuffed in the vent. We took turns driving. It was cold driving, but we had another great weekend.
I remember Charles taking life in a little easier manner than I did, and I think that may have been a reason why we got along. I cherish the many memories I have of Charles and hope his family and friends do the same with their memories of him.
Chris wer’e so sorry for your familys loss. Charles was a great guy.