Jan. 12, 1931 - June 1, 2015

Charles C. "Beech" Lunday, of Castle Rock, Wash., passed away June 1, 2015, at the Ray Hickey Hospice House in Vancouver, Wash., after a long battle with cancer.

Beech was born Jan. 12, 1931, in Plainview, Texas, and grew-up in Aransas Pass, Texas.

Although he left Texas for the Marine Corps as a young man, he stayed in touch with his many childhood friends throughout his life. Beech married Patricia Guthrie on June 29, 1953. They would have celebrated 62 years together this month. Patricia survives him at home.

Beech was a veteran of the Korean War. He was severely injured in combat and was returned stateside for rehabilitation. Unable to continue his military career, Beech found a passion for doing custom masonry work and setting tile. They built a home and family in Southern California for nearly 20 years.

Tired of the frantic pace of life in Southern California, in 1972 Beech and his best friend, Jack Mobbs, decided to change their life a bit and moved their families to North Idaho. Beech quickly set up business on their small farm outside Post Falls, again doing custom tile and masonry work. He spent more than 30 years building beautiful masonry and tile creations for his clients in Idaho... after first starting the day with breakfast and coffee at the Owl Cafe in Hayden Lake. Beech closed his business, sold the farm and retired to Castle Rock in 2005.

Beech is survived by his wife and sons, Wesley (Roisin) of Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, James "Dutch" (Rebecca) of Roy, Wash., Wayne (Jana) of Castle Rock, Wash., Lee (Colleen) of Arlington, Wash., Marc (Nancy) of Helena, Mont., and Kevin (Sylvia) of Murrieta, Calif.; and daughter-in-law Linda Coates. He leaves 19 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his foster son, Jim Coates.

The family asks that, if you can, please make a donation to a local Hospice program in your own area. Beech was ill for quite some time, and we feel a deep respect for all the help these angels have shared with us. The family will hold a celebration of life later this year.