Charles Edgar Leutwiler

Charles Edgar Leutwiler, of Madras, went to be with the Lord January 30, 2021, at the age of 69. He was born May 11, 1951, to Raymond and Margie Leutwiler. He grew up in La Habra, California. He loved the outdoors throughout his entire life. As a child his favorite places were the ocean and going to their family mountain cabin. His favorite outdoor activities were surfing and snow skiing. At a young age, he worked at his dad’s auto mechanic shop, starting out as a lube tech before becoming a full mechanic. He had a variety of other odd jobs growing up like being a baker and running a printing press, but he always wanted to become a farmer. In 1975, he moved to Oregon to pursue that dream and he eventually landed in Madras, working for Leslie Ramsey, as a farm hand. While working for Leslie, he met the farmer’s daughter and the love of his life, Gwen. They married in 1981 and eventually the two of them bought and took over her parents’ farm. After farming, Charles went back to school and got a degree in mechanical drafting. After a couple years at Keith Manufacturing using his degree, his love for farming brought him back to work at Madras Farms. He retired from Madras Farms in 2016. Even retired, he couldn’t stay away from farming and would occasionally drive semi-truck for High Desert Organix, where he worked until the day he passed. While retired, he renewed his childhood passion for photography. He created his own website displaying his photographs, volunteered as the photographer for the Chamber of Commerce, his work is on displayed at the Redmond Cancer Center, and even had multiple photos featured in the winter edition of the Sageland. One of his proudest achievements was selling a photograph to the band Stone Temple Pilots, which they used as the cover art of their album Perdida. Charles also loved to ride his bicycle around the plains as exercise and to visit along the way. He is survived by his wife, Gwen Leutwiler; sister, Linda (Scotty) Samsel; sons, Byck (Mary) Leutwiler and Mark (Mia) Leutwiler; daughters, Jennifer Farr, Rebecca (Zach) Glaspie and Sarah (Simeon) Kalama; as well as six grandchildren. A graveside service for immediate family only will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Jefferson County Library www.jcld.org/ donate in honor of his love of books.

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