Obituary of Charles Corlin

Charles A. Corlin, owner of Air Balance Inc, passed away at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center in Burlington on Sunday morning, June 6, 2010. He was 73 years old. Charlie was born in Boston, the son of the late Charles and Margaret Corlin. He was raised in Somerville. He was a graduate of St. Joseph's School and Somerville High School, Class of 1954. He furthered his education at Franklin Tech in Boston. Charlie founded Air Balance Inc in 1963 and managed the firm up until his death. The company tested and balanced heating and ventilation equipment in large schools, hospitals, buildings, and manufacturing facilities. At its peak, he had over 30 employees. He was extremely well respected within the HVAC industry and was often asked to speak at seminars. Air Balance Incorporated was a charter member of the Associated Air Balance Council (AABC). Charlie was extremely proud to see both his sons follow his lead and opened their own companies in different regions. Charlie had a number of activities and interests. He was a member of the Burlington Knights of Columbus. He served in the Air Force Reserves. He sponsored the Air Balance Softball team, which he was the pitcher. He enjoyed stamp collecting and model railroading. Charlie enjoyed camping with his family at Constantine Park in Tyngsboro. He collected Jazz Music. His home, backyard, and pool were often the gathering spot for his family and their friends. He loved to travel with his wife. The destinations usually involved warm climate with sandy beaches, like Bermuda and Aruba. Charlie married his wife, Margaret &quote;Peggy&quote; (Sherwood) Corlin when they were 18 and 17 years old. They would have celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary this August. Throughout their marriage they supported andshared each other's goals, dreams, and interests. Charlie was the proud father of George Corlin & his wife Jean of Brockton, Chuck Corlin & his wife Patricia of Strafford, NH, Margaret Montalto-Blevins of Burlington and Sandra Harrington & her husband Michael of North Conway, NH. He was the brother of Margaret Grossi of Arlington and Marilyn (Murphy) Corlin of Estero, FL. He was also survived by 14 grandchildren & 3 great grandchildren. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Wednesday, June 9 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret's Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Tuesday 2-4 p.m. & 6-8 p.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Charlie's name may be made to Boys Town New England, Bazarsky Campus, 58 Flanagan Road, Portsmouth, RI 02871 www.boystown.org/new-england Words of Remembrance written by Meagan and Chuck Corlin Thank you everyone for coming today. I know that Charlie would be happy to see (each and every one of you) gathered together today. I've learned a few things from my father and want to share them with you. Anyone who knew my Dad knew that he loved to travel. And he sought to show us all how to do it. He loved to travel with my Mother and anyone else he could get to go along. Sometimes, if you couldn’t afford to go, he'd just take you with him, because he wanted more than anything to share the experience with you. And wherever he traveled, he made friends. One of his favorite stories to tell was how he ended up befriending a couple at a bar and before he knew it he and Mom wound up as the witnesses at their wedding shortly thereafter! It's a true testament to his character; he was always great at meeting new people, always ready to help a friend and always leading grand adventures. Charlie loved to have fun, but reveled in it most when he was making sure everyone else was having fun too. Some of all of our favorite memories include the infamous pool parties, featuring family and friend alike, for holidays, major life events and well, &quote;just-because&quote; too. C's was the king of good times, making sure there was life in every party and tasty food and drink, with always more than enough to go around. He loved his grandchildren, even when they played &quote;It's my party&quote; on the jukebox 10 times every family gathering or begged him to play the Limbo just one more time. My Dad loved his friends and family with all of his heart. He would do anything to help us out if we were in need. His generosity to his family often had no bounds. If you needed a place to live, Charlie would purchase a house or a condo and rent it back to you at a price you could afford. When he couldn't afford to do it, he'd just take out a loan. My Dad also loved his work. Most people look forward to retiring as early as possible. Not Charlie. We had to take his cell phone away from him in the hospital because he would be making work calls instead of following doctors orders and resting. If you needed a job, Charlie would hire you. He didn’t care if you knew how to do balancing or not. He just threw you into the fire and gave you a shot. I'm a perfect example. One night I came home at 2 AM. He was sitting in his favorite chair in the living room. He said to me “How would you like to make $50,000 a year?&quote; Seeing that I was working at K-Mart, I thought it was a good idea. The next day we drove to Dover, NH and he put me in charge at Tekon. I had no clue what to do, but Dad believed in me and just knew I would figure it out. Fortunately for both of us, Charlie was right and I did. My Dad gave me wings. Both literally and figuratively. He taught me my trade where I where I have owned my own business for more than 30 years. He and my Mom sent me to College where I learned to fly airplanes. And by example, he taught all of us to love life and live each day to the fullest. Most people thought my father was stubborn and when I was younger, I was often one of them. I believe this was because Charlie didn’t often share with everyone his plan for what he was attempting to do or why he was doing it. As I’ve gotten older, it has occurred to me that there is a subtle difference between being stubborn and being determined. People think you're stubborn when they don’t understand what you are determined to get or accomplish. My father's life has taught me all about determination. He was a man determined to have fun, determined to work hard, determined to explore the world, and most importantly, determined to love his family and friends with all his heart. We love you too Dad.