Charles Troub Meadow

Charles died peacefully in Victoria, with family by his side, from complications of Parkinson’s Disease.

He was born in Paterson, NJ, to Abraham and Florence. He and his family lived in cities from there to Hartford, CT, as they followed work opportunities during the Great Depression. He received a BA in mathematics from the University of Rochester in 1951, served as a 1st Lieutenant in the U. S. Marine Corps from 1951 – 53, and earned an MS in 1954 from Rutgers University.

In the field of information science, Charles was an esteemed writer, researcher and teacher, and was a pioneer in studying the social implications of technology. He worked for companies such as General Electric, IBM and Dialog Information Services; government agencies like the National Bureau of Standards, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the White House. He taught at University of Maryland, Drexel University and University of Toronto. He also completed visiting professorships at the Universities of Sheffield, the West Indies, and North Carolina.

Charles authored over a dozen books on computers and information science for scientists, lay people and children. He even penned a tome about his beloved canine companion, Crispin.

Charles never met a pun or word game he didn’t like and was well known to be a champion Scrabble player due to his lifetime of reading, writing and completing the New York Times Crossword.

Charles retired from the University of Toronto in 1994 and moved to Victoria in 2002 to be closer to his children, all living on the Pacific Rim. There he stayed involved in the community as president of Democrats Abroad of Victoria. He was on the board of HeadWay: Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinson’s Centre and a tutor with Literacy Victoria.

Despite his many professional accomplishments, nothing brought Charles greater joy than the warm and loving company of family. Surviving him are his wife, Mary Louise; his children, Debra (Paul), Sandra (Victor), Alison (Dan), and Benjamin; grandchildren, Leah Bachhuber (Daniel), Samuel Olson, Eli and Satchel Ramraj, and Nathaniel Ferguson; great-grandchildren, Ava and Charles Bachhuber; and brother, Stephen (Rosalyn).

A Celebration of Life for Charles will be held on Sunday, December 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Jewish Community Centre of Victoria.

In lieu of flowers, donations to HeadWay: Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinson’s Centre and/or Victoria Society for Humanistic Judaism will be gratefully received.

Condolences may be offered to the family below.

McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com