Charles A. Huebner, PhD., passed away in his sleep on December 29, 2024.  He was interred with full military honors at the Assumption Cemetery in Green Farms on June 14.

Charlie was a longtime resident of Westport, where he was an active member of St. Luke’s Church, chairing the Finance and Parish Councils for many years, the Patterson Club and the Minuteman Yacht Club.

He was born in Hungary on May 17, 1935 to Andrew Nicholas Huebner de Fejervar and Ann Schmidlechner.  Charles and his brother Andrew spent their early years with their parents in Budapest.  Adversely impacted by excesses of National Socialism during World War II and the imminent Russian invasion, the family fled Hungary.  They became refugees in Austria, and eventually immigrated to the United States, settling in Detroit.

Charlie earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (summa cum laude and first in his class) from the University of Detroit. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the US Air Force. He earned a master’s degree in aero/astronautic engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a member of the first astronautics class sponsored by the Air Force.  He completed his military service at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, after which he joined NASA’s Apollo space program as a project engineer while also earning a doctorate from American University in Washington, DC.

In 1968, Charlie and his family moved to Westport. He transitioned to the corporate world and held senior executive positions with General Electric, AMF and US Industries.   He was a strong supporter of the local schools including the elementary and junior high schools at Coleytown and Staples High School.

In 1990, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the US Congress established the Hungarian American Enterprise Fund, to help open Hungary for private investments. Because of his international experience, Charlie was selected to lead the new fund.

He relocated to Budapest, where he spearheaded efforts to reform the country’s economic structure. Charlie was later elected President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Budapest, where he became a leading member of the Hungarian-American business community

As a student at the University of Detroit, Charlie met and married Suzan Lawlor. They raised four children in Westport, Chuck Huebner (Lucy), Christine Rohan (Paul), Diane Dillon (Peter), and Andrea Kalkstein (Bart).  After Suzan’s untimely death in 1984, Charles married Zsuzsa Korab and had a fifth child, Alexandra Doane (Bobby).  Charles is predeceased by his parents, his brother and wives, and is survived by his five children and eleven grandchildren.

Charlie was a devout Catholic, and a Knight of Magisterial Grace in The Order of Malta.  He was chosen by the Order to serve as a Deputy Ambassador to Hungary, a position that carried with it full diplomatic status.

Services for Charlie were held earlier this year.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Jesuits: https://sjsw.org/