Charles Edward "Chuck" Durbin Jr., 85, passed away peacefully on Monday, November 17, 2025.

Chuck was born in Decatur, Illinois on April 18, 1940 to Charles and Julia Durbin. He graduated from St. Teresa High School in 1958 and attended Quincy University where he met the love of his life, Judy Finley. They both graduated with a bachelor's degree in history in 1962 and were married on October 12, 1963. They were blessed with three sons and two daughters: Charles, Jim, Meg, Claire, and John.  They made over 55 years of history together before Judy's passing in 2020.

Chuck served in the United States Air Force for 20 years from 1963-1983. He served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War (one year in South Vietnam and another year in Thailand) for which he was awarded a Bronze Star. At Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota, he served as a missileman in an ICBM silo and also earned his master's degree in industrial management from the University of North Dakota.

He was later stationed in West Germany where he was a mobile radar operator. While in West Germany, Chuck enjoyed taking the kids on "volksmarches" on the weekends, and the family visited many historic castles throughout the country. Chuck and Judy traveled with their young family on annual skiing trips to Austria and journeyed to other countries such as Italy, Belgium, Luxemburg, and even tiny Liechtenstein.

Chuck's final duty station was Tinker AFB in Midwest City, OK. He served as a crew commander on the new E-3A AWACS from 1976 until his retirement in 1983, having earned the rank of Major. During his time at Tinker, he would often be deployed for weeks at a time to such places as Iceland, Scotland, and Saudi Arabia and never failed to bring home gifts to his wife and kids.

After the Air Force, Chuck had a second career as a bank examiner for the U.S. Treasury Department. In this role he would travel to small-town banks throughout Oklahoma and parts of Kansas, Arkansas, and Texas. He became the family's resident expert on where to find the best steak, chili, or BBQ in any of these places. At home, he loved grilling and would always look for an opportunity to show off his skills.

In his spare time, Chuck enjoyed reading, which was a hobby he and Judy shared, and the house was full of books. If any child had a homework assignment that required any amount of research, Chuck could be counted on to provide multiple armloads of books related to the subject. He was also an avid sports watcher and a diehard fan of the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears (often reminding others that they got their start as the Decatur Staleys). While reading or watching sports, Chuck was often seen smoking his pipe.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved wife, Judy, and his granddaughter, Maya Matsumoto. He is survived by his sisters, Mary Kay Ruterbories and Nancy Burrows, and his brother Daniel Durbin and his wife Mariellen. He is also survived by son, Charles Durbin and wife, Sallie; son, James Durbin and wife, Rebecca; daughter, Margaret Goodwin and husband, Nick; daughter, Claire Suttle and husband, Brian; and son, John Durbin plus grandchildren and step-grandchildren: Elizabeth Young and husband, Shannon; Miley Reyna and husband, Dominic; Naomi Matsumoto; Annah Huckabee and husband, Keaton; Ray Matsumoto; Isabella Perkins; Charles "Will" Durbin; Marshall Vanstavern; Jordyn Perkins; Harrison Durbin, Ruby Goodwin; and Mattox Suttle and great grandchildren, Emma and Felix Young and Annabelle Reyna, and his nine nieces and nephews.

We want to thank those who cared for him at Arbor House Assisted Living in Mustang, OK and at Spanish Cove Skilled Nursing in Yukon, OK.