Charles Louis Brescia

Charles Louis Brescia (Chuck) was born on September 30, 1953 in Hutchinson, Kansas, where his father, Louis, was stationed in the Navy for flight training.

He grew up in Manahawkin, NJ, and got his pilot’s license at 15 before he could drive a car. He graduated from Southern Regional High School in 1972, and earned his BS degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1977.

He married Janice Ziejewski in July of 1977, and began his Naval flight training in Pensacola, FL. They were married for 49 years, and had 2 children, Jennifer and Scott. After further training in Corpus Christi, TX, he got his flight wings, and his first assignment was in Mountain View, CA at Moffett Field, flying P-3 Orion anti-submarine planes. It is now a joint military-civilian airport with a museum.

He returned to Pensacola in 1982 as a naval flight instructor, and resigned his active duty commission in 1984. He continued to serve in the Naval Reserve until 1998, retiring with the rank of Commander.

He then started his career as a commercial airline pilot with Continental Airlines, logging over 24,000 miles flight hours as a pilot. Continental merged with United Airlines, and he retired as a Captain in 2013 with 28 years of service. He was bored with retirement, so he became Chief Flight Instructor at Journeys Aviation in Boulder, CO in 2019.

In addition to flying commercially, he was a volunteer firefighter for the Coal Creek Fire Department, a coach for children’s soccer, and a player on an adult soccer team.

He was a wonderful storyteller, a warm-hearted romantic man who dearly loved his wife and children. Like his father, he was a brilliant teacher who cared deeply about mentoring the next generation. He touched many people’s lives, and his humor, optimism, and passion for flying are his legacy.

He is survived by his wife Jan, his children Jennifer and Scott, his grandchildren Juniper and Laurel, and his brother Rick Brescia.