Charles "Chuck" J. Chihak

Charles "Chuck" John Chihak, age 78 of La Crescent, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on March 22nd, 2025, surrounded by love. Chuck, a proud Bohemian, was born in Lourdes, Iowa on June 1st, 1946, to Charles and Mary Ellen Chihak. He attended Our Lady of Lourdes elementary school in Lourdes, Iowa, and continued on to high school at Immaculate Conception Catholic School, in Elma, Iowa, and Notre Dame Catholic School in Cresco, Iowa.

Chuck attended Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, pursuing studies in the seminary for two years before being advised that due to his lack of empathy, he should choose another career path.

Chuck pursued his deep passion for music graduating Magna Cum Laude from Loras College with a Bachelor of Arts in Music in 1968. His talent for music kept him from being drafted into combat in the Vietnam War, however, he served his country in the Army Band in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where he played piano. He completed the Sandman's Course at the US Armed Forces School of Music in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

After his time in the Army, he pursued a Master of Arts degree in Music Theory and Composition with a concentration in Jazz from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, graduating in 1974. While studying at UNI, he met the love of his life, Regina Zortman. They married in 1976 and began a family together in Cedar Falls before moving to La Crescent in 1989. In their 48-year partnership, Chuck and Regina raised three children, Vincent, Daniel, and Laura.

Chuck played music professionally for many years with groups and musicians such as The Traitors, Footloose, Windsong, Gary Burton, Clark Terry, Howard Roberts, Maynard Ferguson, Marv Stamm, Urbie Green, The Smothers Brothers, The Wonderful World Jazz Band, Guy Lombardo, and the Chihak Family Band, which included his wife and children. Outside of his professional music career, Chuck worked for the United States Postal Service and was a card-carrying member of the postal workers union for many years.

Chuck was ever the renaissance man; a duck and pheasant hunter, fisherman, mushroom forager, and gardener - always tending to his beloved Malinda apple tree and raspberry patch. Every spring he tapped his maple trees and boiled down the sap into his famous maple syrup to earn the title of 'sugarmaker'. He was an author, poet, composer, birder, instructor of music, and a canine behaviorist, training his beloved labradors Paddy, Beebee, and Billie.

Over the years, he volunteered with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Friends of the Upper Mississippi Fisheries Service, and the Salvation Army. He was dedicated to supporting causes that were close to his heart including the Southern Poverty Law Center, Unbound Non-Profit Organization, ABC Works, and the Democratic Party.

He was an avid film and television enthusiast, with movie reviews at the ready for anyone who might want to listen. In the evenings you could find him watching his beloved Los Angeles Dodgers while sipping a finger or two of Jack Daniel's.

Locals of La Crescent may be familiar with his tradition of sticking a Christmas tree out on the ice on the pike near Blue Lake. Chuck said, "I started planting ice trees over a decade ago in what seems now like a failed attempt to start an ice forest. I have not given up yet, though none of my plants have yet taken root."

Chuck filled many lives with love, music, knowledge, kindness, and friendship. These priceless moments and memories will be cherished.

His memory is carried forward by his wife Regina, his children and their families, Vincent (Sasha), Daniel (Maggie), Laura (Travis, Maddie Rose), his siblings, Johnny (Judy), Rose (Dick), and Mary Ellen, and many incredible friends who were there until the end. A celebration of life in honor of Chuck is planned for June of 2025.

"I think my work here is done." - Chuck.