Charles Leighton Hough, 85, of Shawano, Wisconsin, passed away, Saturday, December 11, 2021. Chuck, as he was known to family and friends, was born 1936 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin to Charles Leighton Hough, Sr. and Henrietta (King) Hough. Growing up near Lake Winnebago and the Fox river, Chuck discovered his passion for fishing, stealing away to cast a rod on the water or along the shoreline. This passion would never leave him and always be a source of fun stories and conversations.

Chuck graduated from Oshkosh High School in 1953 and, after a brief stint at Colorado A & M, joined the Navy in February of 1956. During his four years in the armed forces, he became interested and excelled at photography. After Chuck was discharged from the Navy he attended the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California where he honed his craft, eventually making his way back to the Midwest and a position at the University of Chicago. At the Hyde Park campus, he worked with the electron microscope, taking part in research work to examine lunar particles, and developed a process to convert black and white photography to color.

While living in Chicago, Chuck met Edith Reinke, the love of his life. After a short but whirlwind courtship, Chuck and Edith married on June 28, 1964. A year later, Chuck and Edith welcomed their daughter Stephanie into their lives, and 2 years later, brought Steve into the growing family. In 1975, Chuck left the University of Chicago and moved the family from Glenwood, Illinois to Appleton, Wisconsin where he opened his own photography company called S & S Custom Photography. After a successful run with S & S, Chuck was hired full-time by Aid Association for Lutherans (Thrivent), a regular client. He continued to work for AAL until his retirement in 1999. In that same year, Chuck and Edith relocated to the Shawano, Wisconsin area where Chuck designed their retirement home on the Wolf River. The house was built on a family plot of land that was originally the site of his father Leighton's camping trips. Chuck enjoyed spending time out in his 40 acres of land, fishing on the Wolf River and other local lakes, and reading Westerns.

Chuck is survived by his daughter, Stephanie Jablonski and her husband David of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and his son Steve Hough and his wife Dori (Squires) Hough of Barrington, Illinois; five grandchildren, Tyler (Amanda), Emily (Ryan), Ariana, Lauren, and Jordan; his sister Mary Elizabeth (Hough) Arthur of Waco, Texas, along with several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Leighton and Henrietta, and his wife Edith Hough in 2015.

Additional thanks and heartfelt recognition go out to Chuck's sister-in-law, Sharon Schrader, for the visits, meals, and treats; Pastor Todd Jerabek for bringing the Word and Sacrament during home visits; and his in-home caregiver, Courtney Ludwig (and her three children) for the care and joy they brought into his life.

A celebration of life service will be held at 11:00 AM, Friday, January 7, 2021, at St. John's Lutheran Church, Belle Plaine, Wisconsin. Visitation will begin at 10:00 am prior to the service at the church.

Memorials can be directed to St. John's Lutheran Church & the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Association.