Seattle, Washington - Charles Anthony Smyth, a longtime copy editor, ardent lover of the language arts, and good friend to many, passed away in Seattle, Washington, on June 26, 2024, at age 80.

Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Charlie was the second son of Robert and Jean Smyth. He attended Princeton High School (where he played snare drum with the marching band and was lauded for having the "Best Personality" in his class), and then went on to New York's Columbia University. Summers he spent with his family at Corlear Bay Club on Lake Champlain's western shore, and there developed a lasting passion for tennis.

A vacation to the Pacific Northwest in the late 1960s convinced him to move to Seattle, where he first took employment with the Great Northern Railway, working in the train yard before switching to the pricing office. An avid grammarian, Charlie signed on in the late '70s as a copy editor with Robinson Newspapers. He followed that up by becoming an associate editor at Seattle Weekly (for which he wrote, among other things, a column about language usage), the managing editor of KCTS Nine Magazine, the editor of Northwest Health Magazine, and a copy editor for both Amazon.com and the online restaurant guide Seattle Sidewalk. Charlie copy-edited books and online content for the regional history site HistoryLink.org. He even did a brief stint as deputy press secretary for Washington Governor Booth Gardner's re-election campaign.

He was honored to work closely with Dr. Neal D. Barnard and other contributors on two editions of the PCRM Nutrition Guide for Clinicians (2007, 2009) that provided expert, evidenced-based nutrition information to clinicians at no charge and with no commercial sponsorship.

Charlie met his future wife, Katie Anderson, in 1990. Their life together was filled with laughter, love, and rich conversation. They made magical visits to Italy and France, and enjoyed downtime on the islands of Puget Sound. Charlie found peace being at home with their cats, close to the water and tucked among tall trees.

Charlie made friends wherever his life led him, and more than a few of these friendships became deep and long-lasting. He was a kind and thoughtful man, authentic and playful. He'll be remembered, too, as an attentive and curious listener. "I used to have coffee with him all the time," a former newspaper colleague says. "[He had] a good heart and a smart head. Not everybody back then talked about things that mattered, but Charlie did. Charlie mattered."

He is survived by his wife, Katie; his elder brother, Robert (Debbie) Smyth; his sisters-in-law Peggy Anderson and Carol (Barry) Richard; cousin John Willis; nieces Taylor (Tim) Brummer and Hannah Richard; nephews Rob Smyth, Jack (Julianna Hamon) Richard, and Paul Anderson; and dear friends in whose company he always flourished.

Charlie had great compassion and respect for all living creatures, but he felt a special kinship with wolves. Remembrances can be made in his memory to WolfHaven (www.wolfhaven.org) or to any animal welfare charity of your choosing.