Charlie Carl Schoenenberger (1994)
GLIMME, SCHOENENBERGER
Posted By: Kent Transier
Date: 12/20/2023 at 20:41:27
The Clear Lake Observer American
Clear Lake, California
Wednesday, September 28, 1994Businessman, co-founder of Worm Races, Charlie Schoenenberger, dies
CLEARLAKE—Civic leader, long-time businessman and co-founder of the Clearlake Worm Races, Charlie Schoenenberger, died at Redbud Community Hospital on Saturday. He was 81
He leaves a son, Kent; a son and daughter-in-law, John and Suzanne; a daughter, Ann Glimme; four grandchildren and their spouses and three great granddaughters.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, at Lower Lake Cemetery, with burial afterwards. The BPOE Elks Lodge on Old Highway 53 will hold a reception in Charlie’s honor, after the service at 2:30 p.m. (Charlie’s obituary is on page 2.)
On Monday, Charlie’s son, Kent, said his father and mother had been living in Omaha, Neb. when they moved to Oakland in 1946. Nine years later, Charlie and Kay moved to Hayward, and met Ed Robey, Sr., who told them about the joys of Lake County and Clearlake Highlands. In 1960, Charlie, Kay and their three youngsters moved to Clearlake Highlands, and Charlie and Kay bought a building near Austin’s Resort and opened Ford’s, a five-and-dime store. Kent said owing a business in the early 1960s was a tough proposition and in the winters “business was so slow, Charlie went back to work in Hayward.” The old Ford’s building is currently an appliance repair store.
During an interview in 1989, Charlie Schoenenberger said the store carried about 30,000 items. Kay managed the ready-to-wear section and Schoenenberger managed everything else. “Best way to keep husbands and wives from fighting,” he said in 1989.
It was Kay who challenged Charlie, who is a distant cousin of Samuel Clemens, to come up with something rivaling the famous frog jumping contest. Kent said Charlie, Kay and others in business in town thought up the International Worm Races as a way to get people up here, but, it was never about money, it was about fun. After testing the worms and designing a worm racing board (the design is still being used), the inaugural race was held in 1966. Schoenenberger and his buddies ran it for five years, before the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce was invited to organize and run it. For the past few years, that task has fallen on Betty Votaw, who has followed in Charlie’s footsteps, promoting the event far and wide.
Kent said his father was always promoting the town, with his friends, like Cliff Morton, and always dreaming up ways of getting Clear Lake on the map. For years, he and others went to the San Francisco boat show, to drum up business for Clear Lake. “ He figured that people who had boats would like to come up here,” Kent said, and as he talked about Clear Lake, he handed out the brochures of the local resorts.
For a while, Charlie and Kay ran a gift shop, “The Lady Bug” on Siegler Springs Road, but after a couple of years, closed it, because there just wasn’t that much traffic coming by.
One of the most enduring qualities about Charlie was his disarming smile and hale-and-hearty manner. As a long-time businessman in town (from 1960-1987), Charlie was usually the first to welcome new business people to town. “He’d have his hand out, a big smile on his face, and would walk into the new business,” Kent said Monday. In the past five or six years, Kent said he spent a lot of time with his dad. One time, when they were in a restaurant, one of Charlie’s friends came up to Charlie, smiled and gave him a “big hello.” Charlie flashed that famous smile of his, and enjoyed their conversation.
Afterwards, Charlie turned to his son and asked, “Who was that?” Kent said Charlie was just like that—a friend to everyone he ever met.
________________________The Clear Lake Observer American
Clear Lake, California
Wednesday, September 28, 1994Businessman, co-founder of Worm Races, Charlie Schoenenberger, dies
CLEARLAKE—Civic leader, long-time businessman and co-founder of the Clearlake Worm Races, Charlie Schoenenberger, died at Redbud Community Hospital on Saturday. He was 81
He leaves a son, Kent; a son and daughter-in-law, John and Suzanne; a daughter, Ann Glimme; four grandchildren and their spouses and three great granddaughters.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, at Lower Lake Cemetery, with burial afterwards. The BPOE Elks Lodge on Old Highway 53 will hold a reception in Charlie’s honor, after the service at 2:30 p.m.
_____________________Transcriber's note: Full name taken from Social Security Application.
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