Graveside service with full military honors for SSG (Retired) Charles F. "Chuck" Loefke will be at 11:00 a.m. Friday, October 11, 2024 at Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin, Oklahoma with Rev. Mike Keahbone, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Lawton, Oklahoma officiating.

SSG (Retired) Charles F. "Chuck" Loefke, 70, of Lawton, Oklahoma, passed away on Friday, October 4, 2024, in Lawton. He was born May 19, 1954, in Palm Springs, California, to Carl and Winifred Cecilia (Harrigan) Loefke, He married Karen Marcia (Kitzrow) Baltier on October 30, 1986 in Wichita Falls, Texas. Chuck grew up in California and graduated from Nogales High School in La Puente, California. In 1972, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served for 20 years as a cannon crewman. During his military career, Chuck was stationed in Germany, Turkey, Fort Bliss, Fort Hood, White Sands, New Mexico, and ultimately, Fort Sill, where he retired on June 30, 1992. He was awarded numerous commendations, including the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal (with six awards), Southwest Asia Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal.

After his military retirement, Chuck held various jobs, including county tax assessor for Comanche County, working at Bar S Foods, and even working as a can crusher. Later, he returned to the Army as a civil servant, retiring in the early 2020s.

Chuck was a man of deep faith and had a contagious smile. He ran an online Bible study focused on prophecy, which reflected his strong religious beliefs. In his spare time, Chuck enjoyed a variety of hobbies—he was an avid collector and shooter of firearms, and he loved spending time outdoors fishing and camping, though his camping trips often involved extensive and expensive preparations. He also had a playful side, indulging in the fun of Sasquatch (Bigfoot) hunting. Chuck was a skilled baker known for his cakes and had a surprising talent for cross-stitching, which he did with great precision.

His joy for life, sense of humor, and deep commitment to faith left a lasting impression on all who knew him.

Chuck is survived by his wife, Karen of the home, two children, daughter, Lisa Jones and husband Anthony of Tucson, Arizona, and son, James Baltier and wife Lindsie of Lawton, Oklahoma, four grandchildren, Kent Ingram, II, Jordan Baltier, Taryn Baltier, and Jackson Pyle, one grandchild, Kent Ingram, III, and one sister, Sherri Mitchell and husband Mike of Bullhead City, Arizona.

Chuck is preceded in death by his parents, grandchild, Bryce Ingram, two brothers and one sister.