Obituary of Charles Louis Hermann Sr.

Charles L. Hermann Sr, who died on Jan. 18, 2020 in his home in Orland, CA, at the age of 94, has requested no public services. Hermann was born 12-3-1925 to Otto and Alvia Hermann in Oakland, CA. His family moved to Oroville, CA in 1931. He attended the East Side Grammar School, and Bird St. School through the 8th grade. He then attended Oroville Union High School until entering the Army on 2-4-1943, at the age of 17. He served in three major European campaigns until the war ended. He was honorably discharged on 4-16-1946. Hermann was decorated for bravery, courage, and for his stupidity of volunteering to be there in the first place. He was awarded the Bronze Star, among other medals. The good conduct was a very important medal to him. After the war Hermann lived with his parents, and completed his High School at the Merritt Business School, while working at the Dodge San Leandro assembly plant. The Union workers went on strike and closed down, Hermann then got a job as a warehouseman at the Nash Kelvinator Appliance division in Oakland. He met the love of his life on a blind date, Agnas. He fell head over heels in love, and got married in Reno on 7-4-47. They started cranking out kids on 1-25-48, a daughter, Charlene Susan (Susie) was born. On 3-5-49 a boy Charles JR. was born and on 4-18-53 another daughter Ottlee Louise was hatched. Hermann and his family moved to Applegate, CA near Auburn, where Hermann became the local Ice Man, for the Union Ice Company. Soon after, he lost his wife to the sins of gambling and obtained a divorce, and he was awarded the three kids to raise. What a job that was! In 1956 Hermann obtained employment at Aerojet General Corp. in Sacramento, CA. He sold his home in Auburn and moved to Sacramento. He worked for Aerojet for the next 15 years. During that he attended Sierra College at night, working toward an Electrical Engineering Degree. Aerojet’s Rocket industry ended in the late 70’s, so Hermann obtained employment as a Designer for Mac Phearson Associates, a consulting firm, designing sewer plants, until landing employment at General Electric’s Nuclear Power Division in San Jose, CA. Hermann joined the Sky Roamer Flying Club at the Executive Airport in Sacramento, and took flying lessons to obtain a pilot license, so he could fly himself back and forth to work, from Sacramento to San Jose. He eventually moved to San Jose. Hermann became a supervisor of a design group, and hired a very brilliant lovely lady, Bea Austin. Love was in the air and he fell in love. They were married on 11-25-78, on their newly obtained property in the mountains at Brush Creek, CA, 30 miles north of Oroville, CA. Due to environmentalist, and many other factors the nuclear Power industry was shut down in the United States. Hermann went to work for a consulting firm, Omtec Corp in Campbell, CA on a contract obtained from GE phasing out all the design work remaining. Hermann bought property in Brush Creek, CA and constructed an office, and named it, “Omtec Corp., Central Valley Division”. He and Bea hired all local mountain people and trained them in engineering skills. Working to complete all of GE’s remaining documentation of the many Nuclear Power Plants under construction that were being shut down and eliminated. After about four years the contracts were completed, and the Hermann’s turned the office into a Mountain General Store and named it “Hermann’s Outpost”. They also hired local mountain people to work in the store. The Store thrived until 1991, when for personal reasons Hermann took a long vacation. The store closed. Bea died 12-7-2005. Since then Hermann remained retired and living in Orland, CA. Hermann will be placed at Northern California Veteran’s Cemetery in Igo California in a private family service with Military Honors. Arrangements are entrusted to Oroville Funeral Home (530) 533-0323.