Charles Joseph Pass

Charles “Charlie” Joseph Pass, a Lab retiree, died from a stroke on Jan. 3. He was 86.

Pass was born in Los Angeles on June 20, 1923. He served honorably during World War II aboard a destroyer as a sonar operator.

He joined the Lab in the 1950s and worked as an electronic designer in Engineering, helping to set up underground nuclear test shots in Nevada. He also worked on the Nova and Shiva laser projects. He retired in the mid-1980s after more than 30 years of service.

In later years, he worked on the underground accelerator. One of his favorite stories was when he and another worker were stuffed in a tiny closet recording President Kennedy’s speech at LBNL in the early 1960s.

Pass was a devout Christian and loved children. He was heavily involved in his church youth program, providing a place for youth to play volleyball, swim and do other activities at his home in Danville. He drove the youth to conferences back East for many years. In his spare time, he also made “Charlie” dolls consisting of a plastic egg shell head filled with Jelly Bellies, a body made of fruit-flavored Life Savers, and arms and legs made of colored yarn.

He was preceded in death by his wife Mettie and daughter Charlene while living in Danville. He spent his final few years living with his son Don, daughter-in-law Ellie, and grandchildren Brad and Claire in Stockbridge, Ga.

Interment took place Jan. 9 in Memory Gardens Memorial Park in Concord, Calif.