Charlie was born in Ruston, Louisiana, in 1934. He graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1956. He then served as a flight test engineer with General Dynamics on the B-58 aircraft and associated missile systems.

Charlie joined Martin Marietta in 1959 in Denver, Co., as a design engineer, transferring to the Vandenberg Operations Engineering department in 1961 and becoming involved in the development and flight operations of Titan II and Titan III.

Charlie was a charter member of the American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers since 1963, the Martin Marietta Management Association, the Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association, and Rotary International. Charlie stayed with the company until he retired in 2000 and enjoyed traveling around the world with the love of his life, Marilyn Jo (Johnson) Radaz, from Denver, Co., who passed away in November 2023.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Mission Club 4300 Clubhouse Rd. Lompoc on Wednesday January 15, 2025 at 2pm