Charles Henry MacNab, Jr. (Chuck) of Port Townsend, WA, was born Nov. 6, 1946, at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, CA, the first born child of Charles Henry MacNab, Sr. and Audrey Arline (Hunkins) MacNab. His sister Ann joined the family five years later and together they grew up in a three generation household with their parents and their maternal grandmother Rosa Hunkins.
Growing up in Southern California at that time was pretty idyllic. There were still orange groves and lots of adventures available for young boys. It was during these years that Chuck developed his lifelong love of dogs. Charles Sr. instilled in him another love – cars, especially sports cars and hot rods. Both loves stayed with him for his whole life.
Chuck attended Carver Elementary School in San Marino and graduated from San Marino High School in 1964. After that, he earned a BA in Psychology from UCLA and a Juris Doctor from USC where he was a Law Review editor and graduated cum laude in 1971.
After graduation, he joined the Los Angeles law firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton where he developed his skills as a litigator, ultimately becoming a partner in the firm and specializing in banking and finance and government contract litigation. It was during these years that Chuck developed many significant and lifelong friendships with other members of the firm.
In 1973, he met Ann Pougiales, an attorney practicing law in San Francisco, on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend. The two sustained a “commuter romance” – jetting back and forth between LA and SF – for two years, until they realized they were more interested in pursuing their legal careers than in continuing the relationship.
That changed in 1988 – again with a little help from a mutual friend, when Chuck and Ann (whom he often fondly referred to as “Lady P”) rediscovered each other and embarked on a 3 year courtship which ended with their marriage in 1991.
A year later, Chuck’s firm found a place for him in the San Francisco office, ending Chuck and Ann’s commuter relationship and finally enabling them to live together in Mill Valley and to continue their law practices.
By 2003, Chuck was ready to retire from his law practice and the two started looking to move to the Pacific Northwest, ultimately finding their perfect community in Port Townsend, in which they enjoyed movie dates at the Rose, Centrum concerts, walks at Fort Worden, breakfast at the Spruce Goose, the farmers market, gardening, cooking, and above all the friends they made. Many a delicious meal was hosted around their dining room table.
Chuck was known for his great wit. He could always be counted on to enliven a conversation with a unique and insightful perspective on almost any subject. In retirement, he became an avid follower of the news and politics and loved a spirited political discussion – while ever mindful of the need to respect those whose positions differed from his own.
Chuck’s love of cars was a lifelong passion. He was a member of the Rakers car club in Port Townsend, owned a number of Corvettes over the years, but his very favorite was the rebuilt 1953 Willys Woody Wagon SRT-8 hot rod with a Hemi engine that he entered in numerous car shows where it earned many a trophy.
Chuck and Ann enjoyed travel and over their years together found themselves exploring their roots in Scotland, Ireland and Greece, while also enjoying trips to Morocco, Iceland, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Costa Rica, Austria, and Australia, as well as many destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico – foremost among them Santa Fe, NM; Ashland, OR for the Shakespeare Festival; the North Shore of Lake Superior; and Vancouver Island, BC.
Metastatic bladder cancer ultimately took Chuck’s life and he died January 8, 2024, at Jefferson Healthcare Hospital with his wife Ann at his side and a handful of friends gathered around to wish him Godspeed as his spirit took flight and he entered a new realm.
Chuck is survived by his wife Ann Pougiales, his sister Ann (Gene) Aasen, and his nephews Alex (Ana Lin) Aasen and son Owen; Ryan (Helai) Pougiales and daughter Emma Dil; Blair (Meredith) Palmerlee; niece Maria Pougiales-Posey, and his dog Fergus.
Family and friends are invited to share memories of Chuck and sign the online guestbook at www.bradley-kosec.com.
