Charles "Charlie" Warren Maclaren's Obituary
Charlie Warren MacLaren was born February 6th, 1950, in Hollywood California. His mother's name was Genie Heibert from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He credits her with the great faith that influenced his life. He became a born-again Christian at the Lighthouse Church in Oak view in 1969 during the great Jesus movement.
His father's name was Warren Payne. His father and mother divorced when Charlie was very young, and his mother remarried Bob MacLaren, who adopted Charlie and changed his last name from Payne to MacLaren. Bob MacLaren had another son older than Charlie. His Name is Paul MacLaren and he became Charlie's older brother.
Charlie grew up on the avenue in Ventura California. He attended Junior high at DeAnza Jr. High School and graduated Ventura High School in 1968. He still has lifelong friends from elementary school. He loved playing baseball from a young age and did well in high school. He even played in Arizona for an opportunity to be in the state championship. He also enjoyed watching the Dodgers play and listening to games on the radio when Vin Scully would call the game.
After graduation, Charlie attended Ventura college full-time while working Full time at his dad's upholstery shop in Ventura. The Vietnam war was going on and he was able avoid being drafted as a full-time student.
Later Charlie went to seminary school and became a youth pastor at a church in Long Beach, California. Charlie met Linda Smith, the daughter of JD and Alice Smith, and the two were married when Charlie was 23 years old, in 1973. Linda was 19. They had a daughter named Christie Kay MacLaren on March 19th, 1975. Soon after, Charlie's mother Jeanie MacLaren died of Parkinson's disease. Two years after Christie was born, Charlie and Linda had a son, and named him Matthew Warren MacLaren on April 2, 1977, in Whittier, California.
Charlie purchased his dad's upholstery shop, and also pastored a church in Fillmore, California called Joy fellowship. He sold the upholstery shop to his brother Paul, who is still running the business today. It's located on Thompson boulevard in Ventura California and called Mac's upholstery.
Linda and Charlie divorced in the late 1980s, and Charlie resigned his position this pastor. For employment he sold office equipment for Copy Line Corporation, where he won salesman of the year, and a trip to Hawaii. He took his children.
Charlie prided himself on being a single parent who put his children first. He developed a romance with a friend in Fresno, California and hoped to be married, but it didn't work out. Charlie started singles ministries within several churches recognizing the need of christian singles to have a safe place to go and have fellowship.
Linda remarried John Henson, and they moved to Rogue River Oregon where they have resided for over 30 years. Charlie's daughter Christie attended high School, and graduated at Rogue River High School, while living with her mother Linda and her husband John Henson.
Charlie and Matthew moved to Kelso Washington in 1989 where Charlie worked an office machine sales position while Matthew attended Junior high and high School. Later they moved to Stockton California, and then to Ventura, where his son Matthew graduated high from Ventura High School in 1995.
Charlie also took several mission trips to Baja California, in support of Rancho Sorda Mundo, a deaf children's school. He took trips on his own bringing truckloads of goods donated by several sources. He even took a mission trip to Russia with Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks.
Matthew married in 2002 to Erica Marie Hansen. They were married for 12 years before they divorced in 2014. They had no children.
Christi and her two daughters Mahalea and Sadie will always hold dear special memories with their grandpa who loved them so much.
Christi graduated high school from Rogue River Oregon in 1993 and continues to live in Southern Oregon with her two daughters.
Charlie retired and moved in with his son Matthew to Ventura California, where they shared an apartment and were roommates. The two became close friends. Charlie volunteered at Crossroads church leading small groups such as the singles activity group, and singles bible study. He also began a food pantry ministry that grew substantially to what it is today.
He also enjoyed refurbishing bicycles and selling them in his spare time. He donated a few bicycles to low-income children whose family received food from the church food pantry.
Charlie Maclaren was 74 years old 2024 when he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. He continued to work on the food pantry and enjoyed several adventures with his family. His granddaughters were the joy of his life. and he enjoyed spending time with them on vacation trips to lake Tahoe where they would go swimming together.
Charlie's condition deteriorated on September 13th, 2024. He was admitted to the hospital September 16th, 2024, where he was treated, and then moved to hospice at the Victoria Care Center September 18th, 2024. Charlie died in his sleep that night and was pronounced dead September 19th, 2024, at 9:38 a.m. He will be dearly missed.
After the graveside service has completed, the family invites everyone for a gathering at the Golden Corral on Rose ave. in Oxnard at 12:30pm.Please come and share stories and memories with everyone and enjoy some lunch.
$18.99 for adults$17.99 for seniors and teenagers 13 - 14$9.99 for kids 9 - 12
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