Charles Joseph (Joe) Poole

Charles Joseph Poole died August 24, 2005 at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. He was 74. A lifelong resident of Harford County, Mr. Poole was born on March 10, 1931 to the late George Heuisler, Sr. and Cassandra Marie Harkins Poole. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Mrs. Gwyndolyn Gambill Poole of Bel Air, Maryland, four children, Letitia Proctor and her husband, Terry A. Proctor of Carney, Maryland, P. Steven Poole of Parkville, Martha Mitchem and her husband, Oley W. Mitchem of Bel Air, S. Philip Poole of Frederick. He is also survived by 6 grandchildren, Rebecca and Michaela Mitchem of Bel Air, Gregory and Kyle Poole of Parkville and Reda and Evan Proctor of Carney, as well as a twin sister, Mrs. Mary Coale, and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Ruth Gambill who is 92 years old both of Bel Air. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by one brother, George Heuisler Poole, Jr. and one sister, Ella Louise Heckner.

Mr. Poole retired from the Aberdeen Proving Grounds Directorate of Information Management after 40 years service, spanning from 1950 to 1990. He worked as a computer systems analyst and worked with computers from their infancy, when they were the size of whole rooms and used vacuum tubes and tape drives. Mr. Poole was part of the team that worked with the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) and EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Calculator) computers. Historically significant, he was among the first Government employees to receive instruction on the C programming language directly from its authors, Kernighan and Ritchie.

During his career, he was recognized as the healthiest man on post, having accumulated the most sick leave, amounting to 387 days, of anyone on the installation. Mr. Poole received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 1987, the highest award that can be granted to a civilian employee.

Mr. Poole was also active in the community. He coached boys’ baseball for the Harford county Parks and Recreation program for years as his children grew up. He joined the Knights of Columbus, achieving the rank of Fourth Degree. For those of you that remember The Corner Restaurant that occupied the corner of Route 1 and Route 136 before the Royal Farm Store, Mr. Poole assisted in making the Thursday night steak night dinner a local success. He had a wonderful memory and for the many patrons of The Corner, he would remember how they wanted their steak cooked. Often his response to their greetings would be a big smile with their name and “well-done, right?” He found great joy in gardening and his grandchildren.

By far, the most important aspect to Mr. Poole’s life was Saint Ignatius Parish and Church. When he married Eleanor Gwyndolyn Gambill at the church on June 8, 1957, he became the fifth generation of Poole’s to marry at the church. His Great Great grandparents were the first recorded marriage in the history of the parish. Mr. Poole and his family are the longest participating family in the parish. Mr. Poole served as an altar boy at St. Ignatius in his childhood and youth and as a lector and cantor throughout his adult life. When St. Ignatius church was undergoing structural repairs and reinforcements to keep the historic church open & functioning, he continued his service to the community as a lector at Saint Margaret’s. He returned to St. Ignatius upon completion of the construction. He was a member of the Saint Ignatius Pastoral Council for several years. He was also appointed an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist. It was in that capacity that he administered First Communion to several of his grandchildren.

Mr. Poole was a driving force, organizer, and cook for the numerous Bull Roast and chicken dinner fund raisers that were held at St. Ignatius over the years.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Saint Ignatius Building Fund, 533 East Jarrettsville Road, Forest Hill, MD 21050-1603 to the attention of Mr. Robert Lehr.