Charles J. Culichia 1929-2024

Charles was born Jan. 9, 1929, to Jake and Nellie Culichia, at 270 Hudson St. in Tiffin.

Charles was raised in Tiffin and attended St. Mary Parochial School and Calvert High School, graduating in the Class of 1947. Charles had three siblings, his older sister Joanna of Tiffin, and Peter and Antoinette, who both predeceased him.

After high school, he worked with his dad at Jake’s Shoe Hospital, then as a laborer and carpenter for Focht Brothers Construction Company, and then as a draftsman with the Webster Manufacturing Company, all the while saving money so he could attend college. In 1951, he enrolled at the University of Detroit in a five-year course of architectural engineering. He graduated June 16, 1954, with a degree in architecture.

He married Catherine Ann Wagner on April 25, 1955, at St. Mary Catholic Church, and they were married for 66 years. Catherine died in Tiffin in 2021. Charles and Catherine had four children, Mark (Fern) of Easton, Pa., James (Susan) of Montana / Arizona and Phil (Cathy) of Cranberry Township, Pa. Charles’ and Catherine’s infant daughter, Joanie, died in 1957.

Charles is survived by eight grandchildren, Jacob, Nathaniel, Daniel, Corissa, Benjamin, Jordan, Fernanda and Morgan; two great-grandchildren, Cooper and Charlotte “Charlie” Catherine; and many nieces and nephews.

Charles’ professional career as an architect began in Fremont with Chet Shively, designing primarily elementary schools, and he also worked in Tiffin, where among other projects, he designed the Frisch’s Big Boy on Market Street and Dr. Hooker’s dental office at 22 Monroe St.

In 1962, he went to work for the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation and the family relocated to Youngstown. Charles stayed employed as chief architect for the DeBartolo Corporation until 1998 when he retired.

In Youngstown, he and Catherine raised their three boys and were active members of St. Christine Church. They were avid golfers and members of Fonderlac and Tippecanoe country clubs, and they had a very active social life, enjoying golfing trips and dinner and card parties with their many friends. Charles loved to fish with his three boys and they would attend the 5 a.m. “Fisherman’s Mass” on many Sunday mornings during the summer. Every Memorial Day, he and his fishing and poker buddies went to Ontario for a week of walleye fishing and poker playing.

Charles was a licensed architect in dozens of states and an architect of record for 21 malls all over the United States. His favorite project was the design and redevelopment of a portion of the San Antonio, Texas Riverwalk to extend it to a mall being developed by the DeBartolo Corporation.

After retiring, Charles and Catherine moved to Ocala, Florida, where they built a home on the eighth fairway of the Oak Run Country Club. They loved living in Ocala, made many good friends and had very active social lives over the years. They played lots of golf and cards and attended frequent dinner and cocktail parties. They traveled to Ireland and Scotland and he enjoyed a tumbler of fine Scotch on the green of the Old Course of St. Andrews in Scotland.

In 2003, he and Catherine traveled all over Sicily with their son, Jim and his wife, Susan, and they were able to visit the birthplaces and obtain historical records for his parents, Jake and Nellie and his grandpa, Nellie’s father, Calogero Santoro. It was a very special trip for him.

In 2013, Charles and Catherine moved from Ocala back to their hometown of Tiffin, where they resided at Friedman Village on the St. Francis campus. In 2022, Charles moved to an assisted living apartment at The Willows at Tiffin.

The family sends best wishes and sincere thanks to all the people at The Willows for taking such great care of Charles over the last three years.

Charles led a good life, was a great father and husband and he left the world a better place than before he arrived. That is a life well lived. He will be greatly missed.

A funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 4, 2024, at St. Mary Catholic Church, Tiffin, with the Rev. Matthew Rader officiating. A rosary will be prayed 30 minutes prior to Mass. Burial will follow in St. Mary Catholic Cemetery, Tiffin.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Hoffmann-Gottfried-Mack Funeral Home and Crematory is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be sent and the guestbook signed at www.hgmackfuneralhome.com.

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