From Tommy Kirk:
This morning I was notified of the passing of retired Detective II Charles D. (Chuck) Hart, Serial No. 20145, class of July 1973. Chuck died of an apparent heart attack on May 23, 2023, in Grass Valley California. He passed while watering his Bonsai trees, a hobby and love of his for the past several years.
Chuck has been my best friend since childhood. Chuck's father was retired from the job. Chuck and I were so close we called each other's mother mom. We saw each other almost every day. As teenagers, our big hobbies were riding motorcycles, buying and re-building crashed police Harleys at auction, shooting, and photography - developing and printing our black and white photographs.
After I returned home from Viet Nam, Chuck talked me into becoming a Student Worker, then coming on the job. We worked together for a short time at Devonshire Division in patrol, then again a short time when I was loaned to Vice. We always stayed close over the years.
Chuck had to retire early due to an injury. He and his wife Betzi, a City Attorney, retired to Grass Valley, where he became an enrolled agent and Betzi opened a law office handling will and trust cases. They were both very successful, trusted, and well known in the Grass Valley community. They both retired a couple of years ago, but Chuck still helped the new owner of the income business he sold with complex returns. Chuck and Betzi were (and Betzi will continue) helping a non-profit in Grass Valley called the Northstar House.
I will miss my best friend dearly, as all of you would miss yours.
Tommy Kirk 17959
Retired July 2008