Charles David Scase, 96, of Indianola (formerly of Massena) died peacefully at Taylor House Hospice in Des Moines on December 22, 2019.  He was a kind and generous man, whose quick wit and gentle smile will be missed by all who knew him well.

Charles was born February 28, 1923, near Massena, Iowa to George N. Scase, Jr. and Marguerite B. (Huff) Scase, and grew up on the Huff/Scase family farm with his older brother George. Charles attended rural elementary school and Bridgewater High School before graduating from Massena High School in 1941.  He attended Iowa State College for two years before joining the U.S. Army in the spring of 1943.

As a member of Company B, 46 ^th Tank Battalion of the 13 ^th Armored Division, Charles served during WW II as a tank crewman and commander on campaigns in Central Europe and the Rhineland and his Company was preparing for deployment to Japan when the war ended.  He was honorably discharged as a Corporal in February of 1946.  He then returned to Iowa State, graduating in 1948 with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering.  After working for Phillips Oil Co. in Texas for several years, Charles returned home to help his parents with the operation of the farm.

In 1959 he married Lolah Marie (Buckner) Raasch and became the proud stepfather of Jo Lee Raasch.  On November 8, 1959, Lolah gave birth to daughter Christie Jane.  Tragically, Lolah died the following day from child-birth complications.  Lolah's sister Betty Parrott and husband Norman cared for Chris for several months before she joined Charles and his parents on the farm.  Charles was a proud and engaged single father.  As Chris grew, he and Chris became a team in the farm operation.  Charles continued farming until the mid-1980s when he retired and moved to a home in Massena.

Charles moved to the Village in Indianola shortly after its opening in 1989.  This new chapter of his life brought great joy as he made many friends, including Arlene Roethel.  Charles and Arlene were married on March 27, 1999, and Charles became a stepfather to Arlene's children Ron and Joyce.  Together Charles and Arlene enjoyed concerts and plays, time with family and friends, and travel – including four cruises, a trip to Europe, and many road trips around the country.  They celebrated their 20 ^th wedding anniversary last spring.

Charles was preceded in death by his parents, brother George Nelson Scase III and his wife Virginia (Archer) Scase, wife Lolah Marie Scase, stepdaughter Jo Lee (Raasch) Warrens, stepdaughter-in-law Sharon McBride, brother-in-law George Leon Buckner and wife Margaret, sister-in-law Beulah Dykes and husband Jim, and sister-in-law Betty Parrott.

He is survived by wife Arlene Scase, daughter Christie (Sandra Steinbach) Scase of Carlisle, Iowa; stepson Ronald McBride of McHenry, Illinois; stepdaughter Joyce (Robert) Behnke of Poinciana, Florida; step-grandsons Martin (Trisha) Jones, of San Diego, California; John (Jennifer) Nilsson of Mississauga, Ontario; and William McBride of McHenry, Illinois; brother-in-law Norman Parrott of Greenfield; and many nieces, nephews, and other family members and friends.

A memorial service will be held in the Heritage Room at the Village in Indianola January 4, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. The family will greet guests from 1:00-2:00 p.m. and after the service.  Memorials may be given in Charles' name to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation or The Good Shepherd Endowment Fund at The Village.