Charles Edward Biele Jr.

 

Born: April 23, 1936 - Johnstown, PA

Died: March 9, 2021 – Springfield, VA

 

Charles Edward Biele Jr. was born in Johnstown, PA on April 23, 1936 to Charles Edward Biele and Marjorie Allen Biele. 

Charles E. Biele Jr. - 1936

Charles E. Biele Jr, 1941

He attended Fishburne Military School and graduated valedictorian in 1953 and winning an Honor Military School competitive appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy.  He graduated from the Academy in 1957 and began a 30-year naval career.  

USNA Midshipman Charles E. Biele Jr. 1956 

He served on several destroyers and received a BS in Electrical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. He then entered the nuclear submarine program serving on both nuclear attack submarines and ballistic missile submarines, including four years as Commanding Officer of the ballistic missile submarine USS VON STEUBEN. He achieved the rank of Captain in 1978, the same rank achieved by his father.   Staff assignments in Norfolk and Washington DC followed his years at sea, including three years as Deputy Director and Director of Navy Laboratories.  He retired in June 1987. 

Lt. Charles E. Biele Jr - 1962

  

Commander Charles E. Biele Jr. - 1971

Captain Charles E Biele Jr, - 1987

After retiring from the Navy, he joined TASC, a small technology firm that was later acquired by Northrop Grumman and spent the next 17 years as a Program Manager for multiple major programs for a U.S. Government customer.

Since retiring in 2004, he enjoyed volunteer work and world travel.  His volunteer work included leading the vestry and finance committees at his church and serving as a trustee of Fishburne Military School.

Charles E. Biele Jr - 2010

He is survived by his wife of 62 years Nancy Heim Biele, three children and four grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his sister Marjorie Biele Hanson.  He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in June.

The "Other" Charles Biele

During the late 1800's and early 1900's two prominent businessmen named Charles Biele lived and worked near each other in New York City.  One was my ancestor Charles F. Biele who ran Charles F. Biele and Sons and the "other" was Charles Biele, the coffee merchant who ran Cafe Savoy Coffee.

Charles Biele was born in February 1866 in New York City to Frederick W. Biele and Elizabeth Zink.  Both parents were originally from Germany and immigrated to New York in the mid 1800's.  (There is no know link between this Biele family and mine)

Charles was the youngest of seven children and the only one known to have married and had children.  His first marriage was to Della Ward in 1894 and there are no record of children.  The second marriage was five years later to Margaret Thomson.  They has one daughter, Elizabeth, one year later.

Charles Biele was a prominent coffee merchant and items from the business are for sale on various web sites:

Charles Biele Cafe Savoy Coffee Tim (front)

Charles Biele Cafe Savoy Coffee Tin (side)

 During the 1909 New York Electrical Exhibition , Charles Biele displayed items that were mentioned in the Edison Monthly magazine that highlighted new electrical devices and in Electrical World

Highlight of Charles Biele of Cafe Savoy Coffee in the Edison Monthly in 1909

Highlight of Charles Biele of Cafe Savoy Coffee in Electrical World in 1909

This ad from 1917 is from Charles Biele but does not use the Cafe Savoy Coffee brand name.

1917 Coffee Ad from Charles Biele 

Charles Biele died in 1918 and his death was recorded in the New York Times.

Charles had a brother, Edward, who died one week earlier.  They were the last two known male Bieles from the Frederick Biele family.  Charles's daughter, Elizabeth, married and took the last name Favarger.  She died in 1993.

Happy Memorial Day - Biele Family Members in the Military

Many Bieles served in the US military over the years, from the Civil War to today.

The first record is for George Biele, who served in the Ohio militia during the Civil War.  The National Park Service has a database of Civil searchable records.  I have found other records that list Henry Biele of Missouri as a Civil War veteran as well (see pension list below)..

Along with the various pay genealogy databases, the free Family Search website has many collections that include military records including:

United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942

United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946

New York, Records of the State National Guard, 1906-1954

United States Index to General Correspondence of the Pension Office, 1889-1904

United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865

United States Headstone Applications for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1949

United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914

United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933

United States General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934

United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917

United States Muster Rolls of the Marine Corps, 1798-1937

Another website is the US Navy Memorial that that maintains the Lone Sailor database.  Listed there are:

Captain Charles Edward Biele

Captain Charles Edward Biele Jr.

Captain Edward Casper Biele