In Memory of Charlie Cutler

Charlie Cutler, a member of the Guild for more than a decade, died July 5, 2025. He contributed strongly to the current healthy status of the Guild. Charlie served as Treasurer until last year, stepping down from that position only because of illness. As treasurer he revamped the financial record keeping and the membership data into systems worthy of the twenty-first century. He volunteered that experience and skill to support the recent Master Woodworkers shows, setting up the show databases and developing professional level mechanisms for publicity and marketing. He helped these biennial marathons run smoothly in other ways. For example, he and Yvonne, Charlie’s wife of 44 years, would tally overnight the many votes by show visitors for the peoples’ choice awards. Charlie participated in nearly every Guild meeting, either in person or, later, via remote link from his home.

Charlie was born in 1944 and grew up on a dairy farm in Connecticut. It is said that farm life draws one toward woodworking and mechanics by natural inclination or by necessity. This is certainly true in his case and no doubt gave him his early background in our craft. Charlie was a veteran who served in the US Air Force for four years. He was an electrical engineer. He had his working career in information technology with United Technologies(formerly United Aircraft, now merged into RTX Corporation). Besides woodworking, Charlie was an accomplished gardener and amateur geologist who built a significant rock collection.

Demonstrating his continued dedication to this organization, in the last weeks of life Charlie and Yvonne decided to donate everything in his workshop to the East Tennessee Woodworkers Guild. R.I.P Charlie, you made a difference.