The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Chuck passed away peacefully in his home with his family by his side on May 7.

Chuck was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1944 to Frank and June Hoyt (deceased), the second of three children. Chuck grew up in Lake Oswego where he attended Lake Oswego High School before the family moved to Wilsonville where he graduated from West Linn High School. In high school he was president of the FFA chapter and he ran cross-country. After graduating he enlisted with the Army National Guard. He did his basic training at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Chuck was a gunner in a tank and it was said that he was a darn good shot.

After his service he returned to Portland, where he started his career in the lumber industry working as a lumber wholesaler. He started his own company, Hoyt Forest Products where he was successful building his name in the industry. He met and married his first wife, Kathie Fought, in 1968. Their son Tyler was born in 1971 followed by their daughter Chelsie in 1974.

The Hoyts enjoyed visits to Camp Sherman in those early years and they were lucky enough to purchase a cabin on the Metolius River that the family still owns today.

It was a long drive to Bend for supplies to work on the cabin and Chuck quickly recognized the opportunity and decided to uproot the family and move to Sisters so he could start Hoyt’s Hardware & Building Supply in 1976.

He built the first store on Hood Avenue.

Hoyt’s quickly out-grew the property.

As luck would have it the old Sisters Rodeo ground property on Pine Street became available and Chuck was able to purchase the land.

Hoyt’s is located on this property today.

Chuck was a hard worker and he cared deeply about the people he employed and the people he did business with and the fact that his business is still going strong today is a testament to this.

Chuck was drawn to Central Oregon by his passion for outdoor activities, in particular, hunting and fishing. He loved camping and horse packing into the Three Sisters Wilderness. Later as woods and the rivers and lakes became more crowded, he discovered Alaska. He built a cabin on a little piece of property he bought from a friend. He shipped all the materials and fixtures for the cabin site from Hoyt’s in a large shipping container. He assembled a crack team of his customers and friends and completed the project in a short eleven days. The people in the little village where the cabin is had never seen anything like it.

Chuck loved to travel, and for those who knew him there were always the stories of his trips to Mexico, Hawaii, New Zealand, Alaska, Thailand and countless other destinations. He shared his love of travel with his family, in the early years whisking away his children to far off places somehow convincing their teachers to let them go with schoolwork to do on the plane or in the car.

Chuck was a gracious, caring and charismatic man who flourished in his love for friends and family. He was always willing to contribute if you asked and he always had advice if you were willing to listen or not. He loved to listen to music and dance and those who spent time with him will remember his common refrain: “Crank up the music!”

Chuck was preceded in death by his beloved wife Marcie. He is survived by his son, Tyler; his daughter, Chelsie Gloeckner; his sisters Virginia Schutzler and Corrine Stace; his four grandchildren, Lola, Willa, Hadley and West; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on June 15, at 2 p.m. at the Camp Sherman Community Hall. All are welcome.