Charlotte Dutton

Charlotte L. Dutton, 98, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 15, surrounded by family. A woman of quiet grace, generosity, and devotion, Charlotte touched many lives across nearly a century of living.

Charlotte was born on February 13, 1928, the youngest of five siblings, and grew up on a farm outside of Bismarck, North Dakota. Her earliest education took place in a one-room schoolhouse before she went on to attend the Bismarck city schools for junior high and high school. Growing up on the farm during the Depression and World War II eras meant hard work, but Charlotte also found joy in simple pleasures—listening to the radio, attending dances and house parties, and reading.

After high school, Charlotte put her secretarial training to work and took a position at the State Tax Department in the State Capitol Building in Bismarck. It was there that she met John L. (“Jack”) Dutton, the man who would become her first husband. They married in 1948 and together built a close-knit family, welcoming three children: Craig, Christine, and Philip.

Charlotte was a wonderful, caring wife and mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was especially devoted to the health and well-being of her husbands, preparing wholesome, nutritious meals that surely extended their years—particularly for Jack, who managed Type I diabetes from an early age. Together with her husbands, Charlotte championed the importance of education throughout the family. Her generosity knew few bounds; she financially supported the college studies of all her children and grandchildren, and she even extended that support to students outside the family.

Charlotte always cultivated a warm circle of friends wherever life took her. Her leisure pursuits reflected a full and joyful spirit: baking, sewing, especially figuring out the latest fashions, bridge, attending school sports events, reading, walking, and water aerobics all found a place in her life. She was renowned for her terrific pies, especially the beloved Dutton family favorite—sour cream raisin pie. Perhaps her greatest pastime, however, was cheering on the Seattle Mariners on TV, loyally standing by her team through thick and thin.

Jack passed away in 1995, and in 1998 Charlotte married Carl B. Boe. Together they shared a remarkable thirteen years of later-life companionship and happiness until Carl’s passing in 2011. Through Carl, Charlotte welcomed and grew close to several of his children from his first marriage: David, Mark, Karen, Brad, Lance, and Dan.

Charlotte’s remarkable life spanned an era of extraordinary change—from cutting blocks of ice out of the Missouri River to keep the icebox cool and spending summers canning vegetables, to the modern age of computers and high-definition television. Through it all, she remained a gentle, empathetic, and generous soul.

Charlotte is survived by her three children, Craig, Christine, and Philip; four grandchildren, Drew, Ashley, Courtney, and Rose; five great-grandchildren, Cecil, Charlotte, Cairn, Kai, and Dax, with more on the way; and Carl’s children, David, Mark, Karen, Brad, Lance, and Dan. She was dearly loved by her family and friends, and she will be sorely missed.