Charles Schramm, our loving husband, father and son, died in the comforting presence of his family and friends on September 15, 2007, following a brief, nasty and courageous fight with pancreatic cancer.

Chuck was born on June 3, 1953, in Madison, South Dakota, to Howard and Gertrude Schramm. Chuck and Mary met in 1974, and they married in 1981, which began a wonderful journey. The highlight was the birth of their son, Spencer, in 1992. Life revolved around family weekends and gatherings with friends at his home on Lake Burien, boating on the Puget Sound, and cross-country road trips. He had a passion for computer and mechanical tinkering. Chuck was always available to help a friend, and was a generous and selfless person. He volunteered for many different activities, including the St. Francis of Assisi School, Boy Scout Troop 392, and he eagerly looked forward to participating in activities at Aviation High School, where his son had just started attending. Unfortunately, his health did not permit it.

When he was a child, he participated in the Madison, Wisconsin, Boy Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps for three years. A leader in computer data base management, Chuck enjoyed being on the cutting edge of the computer revolution, beginning at Oracle Corporation and then on to work as a pioneering employee at Amazon.com developing their data base systems. In the three months before his death, Chuck took advantage of the opportunity as best he could to meet with family and friends who gathered to talk with him about their abundant good memories. The conversations were cheerful and uplifting, and he always encouraged family and friends to carry through with the passion he planted in their hearts. Chuck demonstrated this passion by learning to play the piano as an adult, enjoying the preparation of gourmet meals, and sharing the love of technology with others. He loved all avenues of knowledge available in the world around him.

Preceded in death by his father Howard in 1999, Chuck is survived by his wife, Mary, and son Spencer, mother Trudy, brother John (Tim), nieces Thalia and Leda Schramm, and Katy Cocker (Chad), and nephew Kent Bettendorf. His family also included Miguel Amengual (Mallorca) and Lucia Battistin (Italy). Chuck's circle of friends extends around the world through involvement with numerous foreign exchange students, as well as colleagues in the computer industry. At home, Chuck leaves an expansive group of dear people he revered. He was loved by all those he touched and supported. This splendid man contributed greatly to making life in the communities of Seahurst and Burien a better place.

The family is grateful to the fine medical care he received from doctors Dominick Toulouse, Mike Kramer, John Hersman, Russell Speez, Pankaj Sharma and Ichiro Otsu, and the kind nursing staff at Valley Medical Center. A gathering of friends and family was held September 21 at the Bonney-Watson Parker Chapel in Burien, with a memorial service on Saturday, September 22 at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Des Moines. Please sign his online memorial at www.bonneywatson.com. The family prefers memorials to the American Cancer Society.

I am connected to everything; therefore I received the miracle of being.