The Reverend Dr. Charles David Lake, Sr. passed away on February 16th at Tobey Hospital after a long illness. Chuck, as he liked to be called, was born in Boston on July 18, 1932 and graduated from Melrose High School in 1950.
Chuck was a scholar. He graduated from Brown University in June of 1954 where he received a Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude. He was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, sang on the Brown-Pembroke Chorus and Chapel Choir and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in the spring of his senior year.
He went on to earn a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Yale University in 1957. He went on to receive a Master of Arts in Christian Theology in 1963 and then attained a Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophical Theology in 1972 from the University of Chicago
Chuck was pre-deceased by his father, George Otis Lake and his mother, Hazel Augusta (Berry) Lake. He is survived by his wife Jeanne Wickenden Lake of Marion; his two daughters, Stephanie Jeanne Lake of Sacramento, CA and Joanna Wickenden (Lake) McFadyen of Marion and his son, Charles David Lake, Jr and his wife Linda Sue (Crell) Lake of Mattapoisett. Chuck was the proud grandfather of Joanna’s two daughters, Abigail Rose McFadyen and Megan Nancy McFadyen and David’s two sons, Austin Mellor Lake and Marcus Brady Lake.
In addition to Chuck’s extensive education, he was a true man of the cloth as well as a dedicated civic leader. During his years at Brown, he was co-chair of the Religious Embassy Week for the Brown Christian Association and spent two summers on the student staff of the American Baptist Assembly in Green Lake, Wisconsin. At Yale, he participated in the Andover Newton Theological School’s summer program of Clinical Pastoral Education, including a unique experience working with patients of the last great polio epidemic. He also served as student assistant at First Baptist Church of West Haven, Campus Minister at Teacher’s College of Connecticut and Student Pastor of the Dingletown Community Church in Greenwich, Connecticut.
After graduating from Yale, Chuck was ordained to the Christian Ministry by the First Baptist Church of Melrose, MA, in response to a call by the First Baptist Church in America as their Assistant Minister with Special Responsibility for Christian Education, Youth Ministry and Campus Ministry.
Two years following, he was appointed full time Baptist Chaplin for the Colleges in Providence. During this time, he was a member of a team that created the University Christian Association. In addition, he developed a ministry with the Rhode Island School of Design, whose buildings surrounded the First Baptist Meeting House.
After four years in this position, Chuck accepted the Danforth Foundation’s Campus Christian Worker Grant for study first at Rhode Island School Of Design and then at the University of Chicago Divinity School. During his first year in Chicago, he served as Interim Pastor at First Baptist Church of South Bend, Indiana. In 1963, he received a second Danforth Campus Ministry Grant and a University Scholarship for his final two years in residence at Chicago.
In 1965, Chuck moved to Columbia, Missouri to become Chaplain and Assistant Dean of Religion at Stephens College. During the next 11 years, he completed his Ph.D. In 1976, Chuck and Jeanne moved to Marion and he became the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Baptist Foundation for the Campus Ministry and Minister Coordinator of the Massachusetts Commission for United Ministries in Higher Education.
Chuck went into semi-retirement as Interim Pastor of the South Baptist Church of New Bedford. He also filled in to preach at his First Congregational Church of Marion, where his voice always carried to the rafters. All the parishioners will miss him dearly.
HIS SERVICE HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED DO TO THE STORM
His Memorial Service will be held at the First Congregational Church of Marion on Saturday, March 10th at 11:00 AM. A reception will follow at the Community Center. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Deacon’s Fund, First Congregational Church of Marion, P.O. Box 326, Marion, MA 02738.