Charles Harlan Rose Sr., 94, printing company exec

WHEN Charles Rose was contemplating a career as an artist, his father wasn't reluctant to express his disapproval.

His dad was a blue-collar worker who drove trucks, ran a gas station and generally worked with his hands. An artist son? He couldn't quite stomach that.

However, Charles was a talented artist who eventually produced well-received oil paintings and sculpted bronze figures of horses and cowboys in the style of Frederic Remington.

But he also found a way to use his artistic talents to make a living. He became a vice president of the Winchell Co., a large Philadelphia printing firm, in charge of the art department.

Charles Harlan Rose Sr., a man of many talents and interests who won a Bronze Star for valor as an Army medic in the South Pacific in World War II, and a devoted family man, died Tuesday at age 94. He was living in Surprise, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix, and formerly lived in Delaware and Philadelphia.

Charles was born in Wilmington, Del., to Harlan G. Rose and the former Margaret Price. He graduated from Claymont High School and was drafted into the Army in 1941. "He became a medic because he said he didn't want to shoot anyone," said his son Charles H. Rose Jr.

He was assigned to the 77th Infantry Division, called the Statue of Liberty Division, and was shipped to the South Pacific.

The 77th was involved in some of the bloodiest fighting in the South Pacific. It first landed on Guam and later Okinawa. It was on the island of Iejima in the Okinawa chain that the 77th engaged in heavy fighting. Famed war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed there by a Japanese sniper on April 18, 1945.

Charles won a Bronze Star for his actions when a fellow medic was shot beside him. They were going to the aid of a wounded soldier. Charles ran to the soldier and brought him to safety, then returned to bring the wounded medic in.

"He said when a colonel presented him the medal, he asked Dad if he wanted to re-enlist," his son said. "Dad said he just laughed."

Charles and his outfit were preparing for the expected invasion of Japan when the atomic bombs ended the war in August 1945. The 77th then took up occupation duties in Japan. Charles and other soldiers adopted Japanese families displaced by the war.

"He didn't even know about the bombs until he got home," his son said.

Back home, Charles worked briefly in the mail room of the DuPont Co. before enrolling in the Maryland Institute of Art. After graduation, he moved to Philadelphia and went to work as an artist for the Winchell Co., one of the city's best-known printing firms.

He rose through the ranks to become a vice president in charge of the art department. He worked on printed matter for numerous local institutions and companies, including Temple University and Lee Tire & Rubber Co.

"We got free tickets to Temple games," his son remembered.

Charles studied for a time with Frank Schoonover, a member of the Brandywine School of artists that included N.C. Wyeth and Andrew Wyeth. Charles showed his art at the Delaware Art Museum, where he also taught art.

In the '70s, Charles bought some townhouses on Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia and set about remodeling them. He and his wife, the former Elizabeth Marie Sewter of Kensington, lived in one of them.

A skilled handyman, Charles did most of the work himself - with the aid of his sons, Charles Jr. and Robert.

"We did the heavy lifting," Charles Jr. said.

The parents later bought a three-story house at 6th and Pine streets. They lived in part of it and rented out the rest.

The couple were married in 1953. Elizabeth died in 2001.

Charles liked to relax in Fenwick Island, Del., where he had a summer home. He also enjoyed sailing his 24-foot sailboat in Assawoman Bay, and doing a little fishing and crabbing.

Charles retired from the Winchell Co. in 1994, just when the company, bought by an Irish group, went out of business after 100 years.

He moved to Arizona for health reasons, his son said.

Besides his two sons, he is survived by three grandchildren.

Services: Were being arranged.