Charles Arthur Quillen was born May 28, 1931 in Maud, Alabama to Odis Lee and Nannie Edna Burns Quillen who predeceased him. On November 19, 2020 in Florence, AL he left his earthly home for the home he has been living for. He was also predeceased by his siblings Thomas Allen Quillen, Norma Jean Quillen Bowles and Jeanette (Jan) Quillen, Florence, AL.
He is survived by siblings Jewel Quillen Sharp, Virginia Quillen Blackburn, Florence, AL, Edmond Lee Quillen, Georgetown, TX, Nancy Joyce Quillen Gill and Larry Dean (King) Quillen, Huntsville, AL, Rejetta Ruth Quillen Balentine, Birmingham, AL, Sammy Paul Quillen, Cloverdale, AL and Jimmy Wayne (Sue) Quillen, Florence, AL. He is also survived by his daughter, Heather Leigh Wilk, Rogue River, OR., and her mother, Lynn Snape Wood, Rancho Mirage, CA.
The family moved to Cloverdale, AL in 1940. Charles graduated from Central High School, Florence, AL in 1949. After high school Charles joined the Navy, serving during the Korean Conflict 1950-1954. Following training as an Aviation Electrician’s Mate, he was stationed at Pensacola, San Diego – North Island, CA and Subic Bay, Philippines. Upon discharge from the Navy he attended Florence State (UNA) on a basketball scholarship. After UNA he transferred to Auburn University where he graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering .His career then took him to California where he first worked at Hughes Aircraft, Culver City CA, then Ampex Corporation (Sales Engineer), Houston, Oklahoma City and Los Angeles CA. He finally located on Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach as his “home base”.
On leaving Ampex, Charles started his own Company – ASAP Memory, developing a product for packaging and shipping the IBM Main Frame Computer Disk packs. His tremendous success with the Disk Pack product allowed him to retire in 1974 and devote full time to bird hunting, breeding and training of Bird dogs (Pointers) for Field Trial Competition.
The National Field Trial Championship is held annually at Ames Plantation, Grand Junction TN. In 1993 showing as an amateur – his dog, Quillen’s Rising Star (Patty), won the National Championship making Charles the first amateur to win in almost 100 years of trials.
He later moved from Newport Beach to a farm in Colbert County, where he continued to train bird dogs and grow soy beans.
Memorials can be sent to Shoals Christian School Athletics (or charity of your choice).
