Charles McCall Shadle, a retired Army colonel who served in three wars and was later a Harford County public works official, died of respiratory failure Thursday at St. Joseph Medical Center. The Parkville resident was 85.
Born on the grounds of the Edgewood Arsenal, he was the son of Brig. Gen. Charles S. Shadle and Martha Grace Shadle. He attended Bel Air High School and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1940. He joined the Army in 1943 and fought in Germany during World War II, when he was wounded by shrapnel.
After the war, he remained in the Army. During the Korean War he was an intelligence officer. In Vietnam, he was a chemical training adviser.
Before retiring as a colonel in 1974, he was deputy post commander of Aberdeen Proving Ground.
His decorations include the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star with an oak leaf cluster and the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.
He then joined Harford County government and became the deputy chief of water and sewers in the Department of Public Works. He was also director of licenses and permits, director of administration and budget, and director of operations and facilities. He retired from the county about 20 years ago.
In retirement, Mr. Shadle belonged to the Coast Guard Auxiliary at Edgewood. He taught boating safety courses and helped organize search-and-rescue operations. He also belonged to the Gunpowder Boat Club.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. today at Schimunek Funeral Home of Bel Air, 610 W. MacPhail Road.
Survivors include his wife of 61 years, the former Hildegarde M. Kramer; a son, Lt. Col. Charles R. Shadle of Killeen, Texas; a daughter, Mary K. Swain of Bel Air; five grandchildren; and two great-granddaughters. A daughter, Patricia Shadle, died in 1982.