Charles M. Searle

CHARLES M. SEARLE Memorial services for Cortez home builder, banker and community leader Charles M. Searle will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at the Cortez First United Methodist Church. Charles passed away at Swedish Hospital in Denver, Colo. on Friday, April 13, 2007 at the age of 83. He was born the son of Brigadier General Howard S. and Helen (Shaver) Searle on October 23, 1923 in Topeka, Kans. During WWII, Charles served with the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Lewis in Washington State. He was transferred to San Diego in anticipation of deployment when he went to a USO after dinner to get some ice cream. There he met Betty Stanton, a daughter of a Marine serving in San Diego. After WWII ended, he served an additional two years in the Kansas National Guard and retired with the rank of Captain, and completed his education by graduating from the University of Kansas. Charles and Betty were married June 28, 1947 at The Shove Chapel on the campus of Colorado College in Colorado Springs and shared over 59 years of happy marriage. In 1949, the Searles moved to Colorado Springs and Charles began building homes all along the Colorado Front Range. His home design in Colorado Springs was named the top home design by the National Homebuilders Association. He served as President of the Colorado Springs Homebuilders Association and regional vice president of the National Homebuilders Association, representing Colorado and Wyoming. Charles concurrently had multiple housing projects in Colorado Springs, Chipita Park and Woodland Park west of Colorado Springs; and in Moab, Ut, Nebraska, Canada, San Juan Puerto Rico, and Cortez, Colo. He also developed real estate in Iowa. Charles began building homes in Cortez in 1954, and completed more than 185 homes in the Mesa View Subdivision in the southeastern part of the city. He was the first home builder in Cortez to pave the streets of a subdivision. He became a member of the Cortez Chamber of Commerce and was elected president of the Southwest Colorado Homebuilders Association. The Searle family moved to Cortez in 1957, and in 1960 Charles became a major stockholder and President of Citizens State Bank. He served as President for 39 years until 1999, retaining his position of Chairman of the Board until the sale of the bank to Community Bankshares of Colorado shortly before his death. Charles served as President of the Cortez Rotary Club, President of the Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce and was one of the founders of the Montezuma/Cortez Development Council. He was honored as the Cortez Journal Citizen of the Year in 2000 for his decades of service to the community. Recently, the Searles have maintained a second home in Centennial, Colo. to be nearer to family. Charles is survived by his wife Betty, of the family home, son Charlie and wife Julie, and daughter Ann Philpott and husband Cam all of Denver; and Tom and wife Cathy of New River, Ariz.; five grandchildren, Charles Searle, Daniel Searle, Alex Philpott, Jack Philpott, and Catherine Philpott; great granddaughter, Amelia Ann Searle; and sister Phyllis Hamilton. He was preceded in death by his son John Searle and his parents. Memorial contributions may be sent to: The Charles and Betty Searle Endowment Fund, Onward! A Legacy Foundation, P.O. Box 26, Cortez, CO 8l32l.