WINTERPORT – Charles “Charlie” Benton Brantner, husband, father, CPA, aviator, gardener, 78 died June 12, 2003, when his plane crashed at the Pittsfield Municipal Airport. He was born Oct. 8, 1924, in Washington D.C., the son of Lester Cline and Emma (Furtney) Brantner. He was raised in Washington D.C., and Decateur, Ga., graduating from McKinley Technical High School in Washington, D.C. in 1942. A veteran, he served as a Lieutenant and pilot in the U.S. Navy from 1942-1945 and in the U.S. Naval Reserve until 1961. Following his service in World War II, he graduated from the University of Maryland in 1949, majoring in accounting. In addition to beginning his career as a certified public accountant in Metropolitan Washington D.C., he held a number of other positions including accountant for the Embassy of the Netherlands in the administration of the Marshall Plan, assistant controller with American University, and comptroller of Kenwood Golf & Country Club. He settled in Adelphi, Md. in 1955 to raise a family. Known to everyone as “Chuck,” he was active in his neighborhood and the establishment of the local Boys Club, which conducted carnivals as fund-raisers to construct ball fields for Little League baseball. He moved with his family to Bangor in 1963 to join as a partner in the firm of Donald S. Day & Co. becoming its sole owner in 1970. During the 1970’s, he merged with fellow local accountants to form the firm of Haverlock, Estes, Brantner, and Curran. He later partnered with Gerald Thibodeau to form the firm of Brantner, Thibodeau & Associates, where he practiced until his retirement in 1992. Over this time he was deeply involved in the Bangor business community, where he was well known to all as “Charlie” and was a longtime member of the Bangor Rotary Club. In the 1960’s and 70’s, Mr. Brantner was active with the First United Methodist Church in Bangor as a Trustee and Chairman of the Finance Committee. Retirement brought him the time to pursue his life-long interests in gardening and flying. He was an active member of the Penobscot Valley Chapter 827 of the Experimental Aircraft Association, including involvement with the Young Eagles program for children, and was an early member of the Maine Aviation Historical Society, working to establish the Maine Air Museum. He happily donated his financial expertise to local organizations such as the Kings Daughters Home for Women and the Winterport Free Library. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Virginia (Livingston) Brantner, of Winterport; their four children, Karl Brantner and his wife, Kate, of Cumberland, Hugh Brantner and his wife, Mary Brown, of Freeport, Andrea Brantner of Stamford, Conn., and Jeffrey Brantner and his wife, Van, of Washington D.C. He is also survived by his brother, Lester C. Brantner, of Sun City center, Fla.; several nieces and nephews; and his three granddaughters, Olivia Brantner of Freeport, and Anna and Molly Brantner of Cumberland. Visiting hours will be held at Foley Funeral Home, 299 Union St., Bangor, 6-8 p.m. Monday, June 16, 2003. Graveside memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, 2003, at Mount Hope Cemetery, Bangor. Those who wish to attend are asked to gather at the State Street Entrance at 1:45 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Charles Brantner’s name to the experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 827, Millers Field, 115 North Road, Newburgh, ME 04444.
CHARLES B. BRANTNER
