Charles Farrell Presnell, Jr.

Charles Farrell Presnell, Jr. passed away after a heart attack on June 15, 2023, in Olympia, Washington. He was born September 9, 1959, Charles Farrell Presnell and Betty Jane (Fogleman) Presnell in Burlington, North Carolina, where he lived until 1980. A resident of Olympia’s Steamboat Island for the last 25 years, he also lived in Montesano, Washington, from 1988 to 1998. Farrell graduated from Southern High School in Graham, North Carolina in 1977 and earned an Associate in Applied Science in Business Administration Technology from Technical College of Alamance in 1980, a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science, Cum Laude, from Washington State University in 1996, and a Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law in 1999. He was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 2000. He married Kelli Ann Carlson in Montesano, Washington, on September 10, 1988. From 2000 until his death, Farrell worked as an Attorney for the State of Washington, including working as Chief Legal Services Officer at the former Department of Information Services, Contracts Administrator and Counsel at Department of Social and Health Services, Contracts Manager at the Administrator of the Courts, Assistant Director of Legal Services at Department of Enterprise Services and Deputy Legal Services Director at Washington State Investment Board. He was a member of the Montesano City Council from 1991 to 1995. From 1977 until 1994, Farrell traveled around the world, working as a contractor, installing and maintaining electronic equipment for the Department of the Navy. Farrell was in his element boating in Puget Sound on his Ranger Tug, the Sea Otter, with his wife and dog, Josie, especially when he could see Orcas. He loved being outside and everything John Deere, skiing at White Pass, Gonzaga basketball, and most of all, his baby girl, Rileigh. Farrell was a kind person who touched many people, a guy who talked to everyone. He was calm and wise, with the ability to guide even the most frantic of situations to serenity. Farrell’s tranquility could only be interrupted by his excitement over a new piece of green farm equipment, an orca sighting, the thought of a full crab pot, a day on the mountain, or the first peach in his orchard. He loved his family endlessly, and his memory and influence will live on. He will be missed by everyone who loved him. He is survived by his spouse, Kelli Ann (Carlson) Presnell of Olympia; daughter, Rileigh Kathleen Presnell of Chicago, Illinois; sister, Janet (Presnell) Black, and husband, Robert, of Bostic, North Carolina; brother, Michael Presnell of Apex, North Carolina. A Celebration of Life will be held, Saturday, September 23, 2023, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Medicine Creek Winery, 947 Old Pacific Hwy SE, Olympia, WA 98513. Memorial donations are suggested to Puget Soundkeepers Alliance or the American Heart Association. Please leave condolences or share memories and photos on the Tribute Wall to the left.