The Coffee Cup

I saw my father
In a dream last night
He stood there at the checkout
Buying a coffee cup
To donate to my charity drive
But he was much younger
The age I remember
Both my parents
So that every time I visit them
There is a little shock about
How much they have aged
It is the same shock
I have when I look into
A full-length mirror and wonder
About how much I've aged
And the weight I've put on
The only comfort now
Is that he will not be able to
Age any more

Charles Joseph Mihelic: A Life in Outline

It is with a heavy heart that we must share with the world the passing of Charles Joseph Mihelic, MD. On the second of this month, after a short illness, he slipped the confines of this mortal coil to challenge the deities of all canons to fistfights and matches of wits. We wish him well on his quest, but there are many here who mourn him. We have called him by many names: Joey, Chuck, Babe, Dad, ToeToe - maybe even Chas at a point in the 70s but a lot of things happened during the seventies that not everyone remembers. But we do know that in the seventies he met the love of his life on an April Day in a small town in Alaska. With her, Mary Douglass Bowman, he lived a life that would be hard to contain between the covers of a book, let alone be done justice within the limitations of this mournful missive. Any roll call of the lives he touched would be incomplete as he lived a life of service to the communities he lived in, seeing people sometimes in the worst day of their lives and using his training and native intelligence to save lives and try to mend what was broken. We can note those with holes in their hearts never again to be filled. Mary, with her constant companion gone. John Patrick Mihelic, a little brother now without his boyhood protector. Children Amanda Marie, Catherine Ann, John Edgar, and Norman Joseph left with only their memories. Grandchildren Bonnie, Joe, and Lilly for whom he will live through our stories. (Integrate this better w/ spouses and married names w/r/t genre conventions and those who proceeded in death).

We mourn Doctor Mihelic because of these stories. We mourn a man who saw the world as it was and tried to create a new reality around him. He did things his way. He did this in part because he had to. Born in the South End of Saint Joseph, Missouri, options were limited. You could work at the slaughterhouses, or you can seek your story in the wider world. His ticket was the military, signing up to serve his country in 1969.

Charles Joseph MIhelic: Obituary

Charles Joseph MIhelic, MD, most recently of Shinnston WV, passed away on the morning of February Second, 2020. Doctor MIhelic lived a full life that would be hard to summarize in the space here. Joining the Army in 1969, he left his hometown of Saint Joseph, Missouri where he was born October 19th, 1951 and saw the world. With the experience gained as a medic, he was inspired to continue his education at the University of Missouri - Kansas City where he graduated with both a bachelor's degree in chemistry and an MD.  During this time, he met the love of his life, Mary Douglass Bowman while they were both living in Alaska, marrying September 13, 1977. The couple moved back to the lower 48 and he served communities in the midwest as an emergency room physician. From there, he rejoined the Army as an officer, serving in various capacities including aiding in the liberation of Kuwait in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. Leaving the military, he made a home in West Virginia, touching many lives in a quarter century of work prior to his recent retirement.

Doctor Mihelic was preceded in death by both his parents, Carl and Catherine “Mimi” Mihelic (Waitkos) and his stepfather Cecil “Babe” Waitkos. Many are left who mourn him and in whose memories he lives on. A complete roll-call here would be impossible, but it starts with his loving family: Wife Mary MIhelic of Shinnston; brother John Patrick Mihelic of Saint Joseph; Daughters Amanda MIhelic and Catherine Schlobohm; Sons John Edgar Mihelic and Norman Mihelic; Niece Emily Mihelic; Nephew John Joseph MIhelic; Son-in-law Scott Schlobohm; Daughter-in-law Anita MIhelic; and grandchildren Lilly Rae Wissler, Joseph Gary and Bonnie Louise Schlobohm. We are remiss not to mention the many friends of the family for whom he served as a mentor and a father figure. He will be greatly missed.

Visitations will be held from 2 pm to 4 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm at Harmer's Funeral home in Shinnston, WV on Thursday February 6th, 2020. On Friday the 7th a Celebration of Life will be held at the American Legion in Shinnston from 5:30 pm to 9 pm. We invite all friends, family, and past coworkers to attend these functions and celebrate the life of a wonderful husband, father, healer, and friend to many in the community.

In lieu of flowers, he requests that donations can be made in his name to Wounded Warriors or the Harrison County Humane Society.