February 7, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Obituaries

Charles H. Meigs

Charles H. Meigs, 92, formerly of Chestnut Hill, a retired U.S. Navy captain and a marine engineer, died Jan. 18 at Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford, Mass., where he had been a resident for the past 14 years.

Mr. Meigs and his wife, Frances, lived in Chestnut Hill for more than 20 years before moving to Maine in 1987.

During World War II, Mr. Meigs was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service as chief engineer of the U.S.S. Enterprise engaged in operations in the western Pacific. After the war he was involved in warship propulsion design and directed the renovation of aircraft carriers.

His last assignment as a naval officer was as chief of the unit that developed and tested the internal navigation system for the Polaris missile submarine.

Mr. Meigs retired from the Navy in 1959 and was employed by General Electric in the secret development of intelligence gathering satellites, among other projects. Later, he taught engineering at Spring Garden Institute.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Mr. Meigs held a master’s degree in naval construction and marine engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The son of a naval officer, he was a direct descendant of prominent naval officers, including Commodore John Rodgers, twice captain of the U.S.S. Constitution, and Commodore Matthew Perry.

A native of Weston, Mass., Mr. Meigs had a lifelong love of art, and drew and painted until he was 90. He also built ship models, and his model of the U.S.S. Mississippi is displayed in the U.S. Naval Academy Museum.

Mr. Meigs married Florence Stokes Truitt of Philadelphia in 1939 and they had three children. After their divorce, he married Frances Bradford Irwin of Philadelphia, in 1968.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Meigs is survived by a son, John F. Meigs of Chestnut Hill; daughters Anna S. Meigs of Somerville, Mass., and Olivia T. Wendt of Jackson, Wyo.; a step-daughter, Candy Walton of Brookline, Mass.; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; 11 step-grandchildren, and five step-great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at Carleton-Willard Village, 100 Old Billerica Rd., Bedford, Mass.