An Interview with Chuck and Jeanene King

by Jeanette Buzzell

What a wonderful opportunity I had to interview Chuck and Jeanene King! Chuck teaches at Colorado Christian University and Jeanene just retired from managing her own business.

They have two adult children and five grandchildren. Both Chuck and Jeanene are very involved in their church, in the community and in mentoring students at CCU. They don’t only “talk” about their life; they “walk” their talk. I was encouraged by their story and hope you will be too. JB

Do you have a story to tell? Click here to share your legacy. We would love to hear from you.

Chuck and Jeanene, how did your grandparents bring laughter into your life?

JEANENE: My family legacy was a rich one. My parents, through the influence of my grandparents, taught me the difference between joy and happiness. While we cannot always feel happy, joy is forever. Joy brings a smile to your face and gives you hope for tomorrow. Joy is the foundation that God gives you. Joy is the legacy that was instilled in my parents by my grandparents. I was the beneficiary of this wonderful gift!

It is important to know that my grandfather was a child when his mother emigrated from Denmark. They came to the United States on a ship the week after his father died. Following through on the family dream his courageous mom said, “We’re going even though we just buried your dad.” My grandmother spoke no English, got on the ship with two little boys and came to America. When they arrived in New York City my grandmother had to farm the boys out because she had to work. The two boys lived on a farm where they were mistreated. They did not have much money but we played crochet, made ice cream and had fun times on Sunday afternoon. I think that is why I admire my grandfather so much. He left a legacy of joy and laughter even in the face of difficult times. There is a real sense of security in knowing that your heritage is rich with these memories.

My paternal grandmother was a pious Christian woman. Her faith was rich and so deep it filtered into our family. We want that for our grandkids just as much as Chuck and I wanted it for our children. Pride, joy, and knowledge of God were always part of my grandparent’s life and Christ was the head of the home.

CHUCK: Humor was a staple in my family. My grandfather left home when he was 14 years old and took his 8 year old brother with him. The two brothers made it on their own. My grandfather homesteaded in Western Kansas. He was a very hard man. Although I have suspicions that my grandfather may have accepted Christ as his Savior later in life, to my knowledge he never became a Christian. Even so, my relationship with him was one of humor.

As a boy I worked with my father, my uncle and my grandfather on the farm. I was always the “goat” of every joke. They sent me after left-handed monkey wrenches, rope stretchers and every device that you can imagine. They loved to play jokes on one another and especially to play jokes on me. So, I grew up laughing as we worked. They were very hard workers and we had great joy in our work. One of my greatest memories as a kid was when I was 10 or 12 years old. We would sit down for a coffee break and they would tell stories about each other and funny things that had happened in the past. I grew up in that kind of environment.

Dad—my life hero—had the greatest perspective of anyone I have ever known. He was a Christian and he genuinely did not see any difference between the people who “have” and those who “have not.” I remember when I was 21 or 22 years old. My Dad was very successful. He started with nothing and worked hard. This hard work enabled him to have a motor coach and boat. One year we traveled to Zapata, Texas, on vacation. Dad’s was the largest motor coach in the RV Park and one of the biggest boats. I asked him if it made him very proud to have worked so hard and to own all of these things. My dad said “yes.” More importantly, he told me that he did not have any more fun than his neighbor who had a 10ft. Jon boat. “It’s not what you have but how you live.” That was the perspective—the legacy—my Dad passed to me.

How do you use what you have learned from your grandparents and parents with your own grandchildren?

CHUCK: We like to relate individually with each grandchild. Based on their individual personalities, strengths and favorite things, there is something special we can do with each child. There are also common elements…things we do together.

One fun thing all the grandchildren enjoy is Papa’s Woolley bugger. I don’t know how it started, but many years ago when the first grandchild was born, grandpa’s Woolley bugger was also born. It gets out every once in a while and grabs at their legs. We were just in Steamboat for Easter. We thought sure that our 9 year old grandson had outgrown the Woolley bugger. To our surprise he said “Papa where’s the Woolley bugger?”

We also love to tell and hear jokes. Our oldest grandson is learning to tell attorney jokes on me. Best of all, he enjoys it!

JEANENE: I see real joy and happiness in our grandchildren when they are interacting with Chuck. He understands each one of them. They feel they can come to Papa at anytime and know there is a haven and laughter.

CHUCK: We also enjoy retelling stories of funny things that happened in the family when our children—their parents—were little. There are many funny things that Papa did. One story they love to retell is about the time Papa’s back went out. I went into the backyard to turn the water off and ended up lying on my back on the deck in my robe. I couldn’t get up. I looked up to see my two darling children and my wife standing in the window enjoying a good laugh. It seemed they thought I looked like a beached whale. They talk about that to this day.

This points to the fact that I think it is o.k. to let our grandchildren laugh at us. For example, when we sit down together for a meal we’ll ask whose going to pray? The grandkids will say “don’t let grandma pray because we’ll be here till midnight.”

JEANENE: I like to have a nice home, but it is more important to me that my home is a place where the grandchildren know they are always welcome and can be comfortable. When our grandchildren visit, Chuck is the one that comes up with the schedule for the day. He’ll plan games and tournaments, pool, air hockey, pitch and we keep scores. The kids love it. Chuck is spontaneous, not expensive. There is always an interesting surprise. We try to get them interested in things we do at CCU, like basketball games and concerts.

We have New Jersey grandchildren. When they moved from Colorado to New Jersey we made a promise that we would try to see them at least quarterly. We also try to continue family traditions even though it is a little more difficult.

CHUCK: Recently, our grandson Charlie called very late in the evening. Jeanne picked up the phone and heard Charlie say as fast as he could, “by golly I love you more than you love me.” This is one of the games our family loves to play. The idea of the game is to see if you can say “by golly I love you more than you love me” before the other person can. Even though it was about 11:00 p.m., we all enjoyed a good laugh and the warm memories of happy times together. What fun!

JEANETTE: Chuck and Jeanene made it very clear that the legacy they want to leave is the legacy of Christ in their hearts, love, acceptance, laughter and working things out together. An illustration of their legacy of laughter was seen at Jeanene’s mom’s funeral. Each of the grandchildren shared something funny their grandmother had done.

The King’s had so many stories to tell that demonstrated the love and laughter their family has shared throughout their years growing up and into the present with their grandchildren. I only wish I could have told them all.