Charles E. Colby

Charles Edwin Colby died suddenly on May 29, 2017 at 84 years old.

He was born in Tilton, New Hampshire, the only child of Evelyn and Richard Colby. He graduated from North Quincy High School in 1951, and attended Chamberlayne Jr. College before being drafted into the United States Army. He was stationed in France, where he worked as an ambulance driver. He met and quickly fell in love with his wife Mary in 1957. They married in 1958, and were blessed with five beautiful children. Their first child, Katherine, was born in 1959, and was followed in quick succession by Michael, Charles Jr., Linda, and Susan.

Charlie spent most of his professional life employed at Pneumatic Scale in Quincy, MA. During his time at Pneumatic, he served as the President of Union Local 444 for 15 years; this sparked a love of local politics and a desire to serve his community. Charlie served on the Board of Directors for the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership and the Quincy Community Action Corps; was on the advisory board for the Center for Technical Education and South Shore Vocational Technical School; was a member of the Ward 6 Democratic Committee in the City of Quincy; served as President for the Self-Help for Hard of Hearing Boston Group; was Vice Chairman to the Hard of Hearing Subcommittee for the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; and was the President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Career Development and Marketing Association. In recent years, Charlie volunteered as a labor history teacher at Quincy High School, to help instill the importance of collective organizing in the next generation.

After Pneumatic Scale closed in 1995, Charlie pursued a second career as a Job Developer with Joint Action and Community Service Inc. (JACS)  in Boston, MA, where he worked with local at-risk youth to help them overcome obstacles and enter the workforce. For his work in this role, and his influence on the community, Charlie was recognized by the Massachusetts State Senate who declared him JACS Regional Volunteer of the year in 1999, the Massachusetts AFL/CIO who grant a scholarship in his name, and City of Quincy who decreed July 20, 1999 “Charles Colby Day”.

Even well after retirement, Charlie continued to be an active member in his community. He was a proud member of the Moakley Scholarship Board. Charlie was an avid reader, with an insatiable intellectual curiosity. He loved bowling, playing cribbage, and was an enthusiastic amateur photographer, participating in the South Shore Camera club until his death.

Charlie was a devoted father and grandfather, a loving husband, and a force in his community. He is survived and sorely missed by his family. Beloved husband of 59 years to Mary A. (Malo) Colby.  Cherished father of Kathy Franchi and her husband PJ of East Bridgewater, Michael Colby and his wife Christine of Brockton, Charles E. Colby,Jr. and wife Ann of Whitman, Linda Montoya and her husband David of Norwell and Susan Fiasconaro and her husband Robert of Quincy.  Devoted grandfather to his 18 grandchildren Eric, Brian, Angela, Elizabeth, and Jillian; Megan, Christa, and Thomas; Samantha, Alex, and Rachel; Chris, Jake, and Jesse; and Alyssa, Robbie, Ryan, and Corey.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the visiting hours on Sunday 3-7 PM in the Keohane Funeral Home, 785 Hancock St., QUINCY. A Celebration of Life Service will be held in the funeral home on Monday at 11am. Burial in Mt. Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy.