Charlie Thorp, 85, of Piercy, passed away peacefully on April 13.

Born August 26, 1939 in Tyler Texas. Charlie Thorp spent many years moving with his parents from Texas to Oregon, finally settling in Garberville during Charlie’s junior year of high school.

While attending South Fork High School, Charlie worked for John Benbow splitting redwood post and making palings.

After graduating high school Charlie went to work at three different mills.

Realizing the pay wasn’t worth the work, he went to work for the phone company. Hank Jasper was his boss and their “adventures” were always keeping them in line and in good spirits. Six months later, Bill Bushnell pulled up and told Charlie “lets go fall timber,” Charlie grabbed his lunchbox and never looked back.

On July 4, 1959 Charlie met Jeannie Haberstock in Garberville. They wed on June 11, 1960 in Reno and welcomed their first born, Donald, in to the world the following year. Three years later their daughter Kimberly was born.

After many years of packing big saws and heavy jacks, Charlie left the woods in 1984. He and Jeannie bought a commercial fishing boat and went to casting line on the North Coast, reeling in the big salmon and bottom fish.

When Charlie wasn’t working you could find him in an arena roping, running his hounds in the hills of Southern Humboldt, setting a trap line or throwing the perfect strike in a bowling alley.

Charlie spent many Wednesdays falling timber, racing home to load up the horses and his family to go rope at the Willits Horseman’s Arena with their friends Edgar and Stella. Jeannie says if she had a nickel for every calf that went by, she would have never had to work a day in her life. That never happened so she spent her weekdays at Brown’s Sporting Goods.

When Bob Frasier retired from the Garberville Rodeo Association, he brought Charlie in as the arena director, and he kept everything running smoothly.

Charlie and Jeannie raised their family in Piercy.

Many locals and avid sportsman knew of Don for the world record abalone he harvested that was displayed at Brown’s Sporting Goods.

In 2019, Charlie was nominated as the Garberville rodeo Grand Marshall.

After raising her two sons, Robbie and Trevor, Kimberly went to work at Eel River Sawmill tallying lumber. Don and Kim shared many memories with their Dad, from roping to abalone diving to evenings at the bowling alley.

Charlie and Jeannie enjoyed their older years watching their grandchildren Robbie and Trevor grow up and play sports, mostly football, in Fortuna. They attended as many holidays with their grandchildren as they could, and were constantly blessed with several different friends and family stopping by to visit them in Piercy.

In June of 1985 Charlie and Jean dealt with the profound loss of their son Don in a tragic logging accident. They also had to bury their daughter Kimberly in 2019. Three years later, in 2022 Charlie’s wife Jean passed away as well. Charlie and Jeannie were local legends in Southern Humboldt and will never be forgotten. Charlie is now survived by his two grandchildren, Robbie and Trevor Maniaci and his four great-grandchildren, Brodi, Weston, Bryson, and Mila.

Services for Charlie Thorp will be held on Friday, May 9 at sunrise in Fortuna at 2 p.m., followed by a celebration of life.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Charlie Thorp’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.