Charles T. "Chuck" Amerine, 83, Altoona, passed away surrounded by his family Saturday at UPMC after a brief illness.

He was born in Altoona, son of the late Edward and Lottie (Coble) Amerine. On June 13, 1959, he married Joan A. Martino at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church.

Surviving are his loving wife of 60 years; a daughter, Lisa Dietzel (Gary); a son, Marc Amerine; a daughter-in-law, Autumn Amerine; three grandchildren: Marissa, Marcus and Riley Amerine, all of Altoona; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Tracie; a son, Christopher Amerine; a brother, Fritz Amerine; and two sisters: Catherine Schmidhamer and Barbara Thompson. He was the last surviving member of his family.

He was a 1953 graduate of Altoona High School and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He retired from Butterick with 40-plus years of service. For the past 10 years, Charles worked for Altoona Area High School as a greeter. He was known as the "Jolly Rancher man," and he referred to this time period as by far some of the best years of his life. He was a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church and was a cantor and choir member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Altoona.

Charles loved to sing. He was an avid reader and enjoyed Penn State and Steelers football as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Bulldogs.

Friends will be received from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 2, 2019, at Santella Funeral Home, where a vigil for the deceased will be held. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 3, 2019, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. Committal will be at Calvary Cemetery with full military honors.