Charles Lord

December 23, 1926 ~ February 13, 2010
Charles H. Lord, 83, loving husband of 58 years to Colette E. Lord, died February 13, 2010 of complications related to recent surgery. Mr. Lord retired from the Central Intelligence Agency in 1985 after serving a distinguished 35 year career as a senior operations officer with extensive overseas experience, including tours of duty in Pakistan, Indonesia, Laos and Hong Kong. He continued to work as an independent contractor upon his retirement in 1985. After his second retirement, he spent every summer with family and friends in the tranquil surroundings of Belgrade Lakes, ME. Mr. Lord was an active member of St. Mark Catholic Church in Vienna, Va., and the Virginia Democratic Party. Mr. Lord was born in Waterbury, CT., graduated from high school in 1945 and was honorably discharged from the US Army in December 1946 after completing a tour of duty in Shanghai, China. He graduated with a BA from Colby College, Waterville, ME. in 1950. Survivors include his wife, Colette E. Lord of Oakton, Va., seven children, Deborah Bloom of Woodbridge, Va., Andrew Lord of Frederick, MD, Stephen Lord of Oakton, Va. Sarah Redfield of Houston, TX, Carolyn Betz of Woodbridge, Va., Nancy Davis of Aldie, Va., and Michelle Lord of Oakton, Va., 19 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that a donation in his name be made to Catholic Charities of Maine, www.ccmaine.org.
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lord family and I know Chuck will be greatly missed by all. He had an amazing life and greated memories and relationships that lasted a lifetime. I’m sure he would not have changed a thing.
My prayers are with the Lord family at this time. You will be missed by everyone you touched. God bless you. Love, Molly
With only good memories and a very heavy heart we say our good byes to Chuck. He was our good friend and we admire and love him and his family. Chuck was a good guy, hard worker, loving husband and a wonderful father. I remember him telling me that his happiest times ever were walking Michelle home from school,everyday, hand in hand, while in Hong Kong. That touched me deeply and I could feel the love he had for his darling, little girl. With very fond memories, Linda Plues
I am deeply sorry to hear of Chuck’s passing. It was an honor to get to know him through the Returned & Services League of Australia sub-branch here. I learned a lot from him, and he will be missed.
Friday lunches at the Elks won’t be the same. Chuck will always be remembered as a true patriot and a great person.
Charles was a vibrant, caring man. I will always remember that he extended the invitation for me to join his small community of faith and the difference that made to my faith journey. He will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are for his family during this time.
Chuck and we go back many years. Fun to be with and a caring friend, we will miss him.
Our Small Community of Faith will not be the same without Charles. It has been a true pleasure sharing our beliefs and appreciate all that I have learned from Charles over the years in our group. My sympathy to all. Barbara
I am grateful to have known Chuck through my parents and share in the loss. I know our family will miss Chuck.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.
We are so sorry for your loss. We love all of you.
Why I will miss my Dad: Although my family is sad about his recent passing, we feel lucky to have spent so many great years with him. –In describing my dad, I would first like to discuss what he was not: 1. He was not a handy man or mechanic. –It was very frustrating growing up because we never had a complete set of tools in the house. The only items we had in abundance was duct tape and scotch tape—plenty of it. –Unlike my dad, my brother is really gifted in these areas and I always wondered where he acquired these skills. 2. He was not really into sports other than dancing—and he was a great dancer. –Unlike many of his friends, I don’t think he ever played a round of golf in his life. –He did try to teach us how to ride horses many years ago while living in Laos although he didn’t know much about horses. –He fell off our horse after it suddenly bolted leaving him with a concussion with my mom in the lurch with 10 French speaking guests coming that night for dinner. 3. He was not a strict disciplinarian. Our punishments and restrictions were usually very light unless my mom also found out about it. –However, anytime we heard him yell, “Jessum H. Cripeâ€, we ran away fast! But my dad had many positive qualities that I will always appreciate. 1. First, he was a man of integrity and character who always emphasized the importance of “setting a good example,†“doing the right thing†and helping those less fortunate than us. –I am not sure whether he had a “bleeding heartâ€, but he definitely had a “big heart.†2. Second, I thought he did an excellent job of instilling good values in his children. –As you know, this is not an easy task; does not happen overnight; and sometimes requires difficult conversations. –On more than one occasion growing up, I thought there might be something wrong with me after my dad suggested that “I get my head examined†after finding out about something I had done, or was about to do. –he was not shy about extending this advice to the son-in-laws and family friends as well. 3. Third, living abroad for many years, my dad taught us to respect diversity and multiculturalism. –He taught us about different religions, foods, and cultures. –Whether it was buddism, bird’s nest soup, or the Hmong mountain people of Laos, my dad helped us gain a greater understanding of non-Western people and customs. –we learned that the Western way was not the only way. 4. Fourth, my dad also had a special bond with my youngest sister Michelle. He was always there for her, and his patience and kindness was an inspiration to us all. 5. My dad also had a great sense of humor and was quite the prankster. I think this trait was passed on to me. –For example, after my mom’s cousin bragged to my dad that she was continuing to wash her hair in the lake in Maine after this practice was banned, she received a call later in the day from the “town sheriff” who told her she had to pay a $50 fine. –Only after she tried to pay the fine at town hall in person, and meeting with the sheriff in person did she realize that it was my dad playing a prank. But what really impressed my about my dad was his devotion to and love for his wife of 58 years– Colette, my mom. –He always referred to her as “his bride†which symbolized his love and devotion to her. –They were true soul mates and best friends. I know the term “soul mates†is often overused, but in this case it was not. –I always will appreciate how special he made her feel on their anniversaries, her birthdays, and at Christmas, with really thoughtful gifts. — However, he did have one off year when he made the mistake of buying her a waffle iron instead of the usual over-the-top gift. — I realized how much he really loved her after reading what he wrote about her at his Colby College 50th reunion yearbook. –He proudly stated that meeting her was the “enduring highlight†of his life. –My dad often wondered as a kid whether he would live to see the year 2000. –Well, the good news is that he easily beat it by 10 years, and left us with many precious memories and gifts. –Although he is no longer with us, I was very proud to have been his son and will always miss him. –I know my brothers and sisters feel the same way. –And I definitely know that my mom could have not picked a better man to share the last 58 years of her life. “…I trust that our heavenly father will welcome Chuck into that world. And that his words and deeds on earth serve as a model for the rest of us to follow…” –Thanks Dad! We miss you and love you
God Bless the Lord family at their time of loss.
My thoughts and prayers are with the Lord family during this difficult time. I have wonderful childhood memories of spening almost everyday growing up at the Lord’s home and being included on the summer Maine vacations. Those memories will be cherished forever!
I have been thinking about Chuck and his wife Colette so much lately .So much so, that I googled his name and was sadened to hear of his death. I met Chuck over twenty years ago when he came to Zimbabwe on business. Chuck always stayed in touch via e-mail for years, and then I lost contact with him. Chuck once bought me an Estee Lauder gift set. As I recall Colette worked for Estee Lauder. It came wrapped up with a big green ribbon. Just today, I was looking at the ribbon in my ribbon box, and was thinking about Chuck, his wife and his family. Farewell Chuck and my deepest sympathy to his family. You were a legend. Jane Zimbabwe.