Charles W. Dreyer, Sr.: In loving memory of Charles W. Dreyer. Sr. In loving memory of Charles W. Dreyer. Sr.
 

Memorial for Charles W. Dreyer, Sr.

Born in Elizabeth, NJ on May 21, 1927
Departed on Dec. 2, 2013 and resided in Fairfield, CT.
Visitation: Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013
Mass of Christian Burial: Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013
Cemetery: St. Thomas Cemetery

Charles William Dreyer, a resident of Middlebrook Farms in Trumbull, passed at St Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport on December 2, 2013; he was 86. Charlie was born on May 21st, 1927, the day Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris in his historic trans-Atlantic flight, earning him his childhood nickname, 'Lindy'. He and his wife, Anne C. (Hasson) Dreyer celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on November 13th. He was the son of Elizabeth Rebecca (Miller) Dreyer-Traub and William Charles Dreyer formerly of Elizabeth, NJ. Charlie attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Elizabeth, NJ, leaving to serve in the US Merchant Marines for two years, followed by service in the US Army, including deployment in Japan during the rebuilding period following World War II. He served as a radioman using both voice and Morse code technology.His early love of the trumpet grew to a life-long enchantment and he was a member of the Northern NJ chapter of the American Federation of Musicians for over 70 years. As a musician, he led his own big band, "Charlie Dreyer and his Orchestra" from the late 1940's into the 1960's, often playing with his brother Frank. He began and led the first school band program at Morris Catholic High School in Denville, NJ in 1964-65. He played as a trumpet soloist at Christmas and Easter masses nearly every year from his mid-teens until the late 1990s. Gatherings at the Dreyer house were enlivened whenever Charlie took out his trumpet and began impromptu concerts and sing-alongs with family and friends joining in creating music. All six of his children learned to play musical instruments and three would become music educators. His musical gifts continue to bring joy to many. He had a successful career in radio and television repair during the early years of television, and then transitioned to the field of electronics engineering as the US Space program began growing in the late 1950s. Working for a military sub-contractor, he spent time working directly on early Titan class missiles at Cape Canaveral in 1959. His continued work in microwave/radio frequency coaxial connectors earned him several patents for technology that was included in a wide array of military communication equipment, including the first generation NASA Space Shuttles in the 1980's. He served on international standards committees for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (I.E.E.E.) and travelled abroad extensively with Anne to attend conferences and committee meetings. He retired in 1992 as Vice President of Operations for Radiall USA in Stratford, CT and then became a charter employee of the Bridgeport Bluefish baseball team in their first year of existence – a position he enjoyed for several more years. His engineering career brought him and the family from New Jersey to Plymouth, Michigan (1971-1975), Merrimack, New Hampshire (1975-1977), and then Fairfield. He and Anne moved to Middlebrook Farms in Trumbull after their home on Veres Street was damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.A devoted and dedicated father and husband, Charlie's continuing legacy includes his wife of 65 years, Anne Catherine (Hasson) Dreyer, and six children: Kathleen Anne (Dreyer) Van Antwerp and her husband Donald of Oak Ridge, NJ, Charles William Dreyer Jr. Capt. US Army Ret. and his wife Hilde of Columbus, NJ, Mary Elizabeth (Dreyer) Curry and her husband Dennis of Columbia, MD, Michael Joseph Dreyer recently of Bridgeport, CT, Valerie Jean (Dreyer) Wyman and her husband John of Wilton, CT., and Timothy James Dreyer and his wife Laura of Bedford, NH. His family also includes 18 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He leaves a brother Frank and his wife Coralie, of Piscataway, NJ. He was predeceased by his sisters Shirley (Dreyer) Serina and Dorothy (Dreyer) Marczak. He, along with Anne, was a proponent of education. Having not finished his high school degree at Jefferson High School, he later completed a General Equivalency Degree, attended RCA Institutes Radio and Television School, and was a lifelong learner who frequently said yes when given the opportunity to take piano tuning certification courses, disco and square dancing lessons, flower arranging classes, computer training or college courses at Fairfield University with Anne in retirement. Even with a single-income family, he felt a deep responsibility to ensure that all six of his children could attend college. The countless number of college degrees that his children and grandchildren have earned is a testament to his dedication to education and love of learning. A resident of Fairfield from 1977 until 2012, Charlie diligently earned a full life with his wife and the family that he loved, and who dearly loved him. He was an accomplished table tennis player, swimmer and basketball player as a youth. He enjoyed water sports, including clamming off of the Norwalk islands, fishing for blue crabs in Barnegat Bay, NJ, waterskiing in Houghton Lake, Michigan, and spent many wonderful hours fishing in his boat with family, friends, and sandworms near the Penfield Reef Lighthouse. He also was active in pitching horseshoes with neighbor Baird Foxx, square dancing with Anne, playing volleyball and billiards with anyone who did not mind losing to him, and would sometimes show his legendary hook shot at backyard basketball games with children and grandchildren - perfected while playing for the "Feather Merchants" in Elizabeth in the early 1940s. He enjoyed nothing more than watching his children and his grandchildren at their many sporting events and concerts, and was the number one fan of each one of them. He was also an avid follower of the New York Yankees, Notre Dame Football, and UConn Women's Basketball. He always had a garden full of tomatoes, zucchini, and green beans, along with his voluminous blueberry bushes. Anne and he frequented concerts and plays at several venues including the Quick Center for the Arts where they served as ushers for many years, the Penfield Pavilion and the Sherman Green Gazebo, all in Fairfield. He served as commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Sgt. Thomas J. Nelson Post 9427 and was a 3rd degree member of the Knights of Columbus, including serving for many years in the Father Coleman Council 2616. He was a daily communicant and frequent trumpet soloist at St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, December 7, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Fairfield. Interment with military honors will follow in St. Thomas Cemetery. Friends may call Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1719 Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824 or to Swim Across the Sound, 2800 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT 06606

This Memorial Obituary provided by Spear-Miller Funeral Home