Charles (“Chuck”) Truman Frew, age 83 of Huntsville, Alabama, passed away on Friday, 23 October 2026, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s. Chuck is survived by his wife, Kathleen; brother, David Frew; sister, Suzanne Frew; children, Daniel Frew and Janice (Andy) Dyer; and stepchildren, Christopher (LeAnn) Farris and Devon (Gregg) Bissot. He also had 9 grandchildren whom he loved very much (Cole, Carter, Reid, Alex, Kenzie, Norah, Abby, Kathleen, and Stephen).
Chuck was born on July 17, 1943, in Decatur, Alabama, to Charles and Billie Frew where his father was a flight instructor in the Army Air Forces. He graduated from University of Montevallo in 1965 and later received his law degree in 1968 from the University of Alabama Law School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Chuck was drafted into the United States Army and served at Fort Polk, Louisiana. In 1969 he was later commissioned as a Captain into the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAGC). He served in Washington D.C. where he was with the U.S. Army Judiciary and later transferred to Okinawa where he performed duties as both a defense and trial counsel.
After leaving the service in 1973 he married Nancy Smith at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, and later moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where he worked as a Madison County Assistant District Attorney. In 1975 he joined the Army Corps of Engineers and served as general counsel and had overseas extensive tours in Saudi Arabia, Germany, Turkey, and Japan. After returning to Huntsville in 1993, Chuck’s first wife of 23 years died in 1997. He later married Kathleen Farris in 2003 and, between them, enjoyed the love of 4 children and 9 grandchildren, all of whom live in North Alabama. Chuck retired from the Corps of Engineers in 2004 after which he enjoyed traveling, gardening, reading, and participating in the ever-changing activities of his expanding family. A highlight of his retirement was taking photographs and writing descriptions of regional festivals and attractions for the self-published book 52 Weekends in the Tennessee Valley.
Chuck’s wonderful spirit, joy, and love for travel will be celebrated with family and friends at Latham Church on Saturday, October 31st. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m., followed by the service. The service will be live streamed. In lieu of flower donations, memorial contributions may be made to Latham Church (https://lathamchurchhsv.org/give) or Heart of the Valley YMCA – Southeast Y (https://ymcahuntsville.org/donate/).
