Temecula Marine lived to serve

By: DAVID FRIED - Staff Writer | Monday, March 20, 2006 6:43 PM PST ∞

TEMECULA ---- Service, whether to his country, community or family, guided Charles May's life.

The former Marine, park ranger and father of five --- who was married for 61 years --- commanded respect, but lived to serve.

May died on Wednesday. He was 86.

"He was the toughest old guy that I have ever seen," said his son, Chip May, 56. "He just had a will to live and a determination to do the right thing."

That determination came from May's experience early in life.

Born Sept. 6, 1919, in Springfield, Ill., May was the youngest child, and only son, of Frank and Flora Cornelius May.

During the Great Depression, May moved to Galveston, Texas, with his mother, stepfather and four older sisters. After his mother's death, he bounced around, living with various family members and looking for work.

But May found his true home when he enlisted in the Marine Corps reserves in 1938.

"To him, the Marines were a family," said Mary Lee Malone, 60, his oldest daughter. "He was totally a Marine, through and through."

May served 22 years in the Marines, fighting in World War II and Korea and rising to the rank of major before retiring in 1960. During his service, May was awarded the Navy-Marine Corps Medal, Korean Service Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal.

In 1942, May landed on the island of Guadalcanal, where he witnessed the first battles in the six-month campaign unfold from his post atop a hillside.

"He didn't realize until many years later that it was one of the biggest battles during World War II," Malone said.

May finished high school only after enlisting in the Marine Corps reserves, but developed a voracious appetite for learning. During his time in the service, he took multiple correspondence courses and earned certificates in everything from history to hotel management, his daughter Cecelia Payne recalled.

"He said they were running out of classes," Payne said. "He had taken them all."

After retiring from the Marines, May worked for 13 years as ranger for the California State Parks and Recreation Department, where he helped oversee the development of Silverwood Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains.

The transition from Marine to ranger was a natural one for May, who had learned to thrive in the outdoors, and was filled with a sense of pride when putting on his public uniform.

"He always used to say there's nothing better than serving your country," Payne said. "It was a great honor for him."

At home, May commanded the respect due a lifelong public servant, but was also a soft-spoken father, his children said, Despite being strict, he was always willing to listen and tend to the needs of his children and wife, Mary.

"He was every girl's dream for a father," Malone said.

Contact staff writer David Fried at (760) 740-5416 or dfried@nctimes.com.