Wurster, Charles A. "Charlie", 84 of St. Clairsville, Ohio died Sunday, August 9, 2009 at Belmont Manor, St. Clairsville.

He was born at Chillicothe, Ohio on May 14, 1925, the son of Charles P. and Alice Anderson Wurster.

Charlie was a retired Colonel from the U. S. Air Force. He was a fighter pilot, and flew combat missions in F-80s and P-51s during the Korean War, where he shot down two enemy planes. He was awarded the Purple Heart. He also flew combat sorties piloting C-130s in Vietnam. He was a member of the Math Faculty at both the U. S. Military Academy at West Point and the U. S. Air Force Academy, and worked in the Air Force missile and space program, contributing to the development of the Apollo system. After retiring from the Air Force, he served as a senior engineer for McDonnell Douglas and PRC in the space shuttle program at Kennedy Space Center, FL.

He was a 1948 Graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and earned a Master?s Degree from MIT.

He was a member of the East Richland Friends Church at St. Clairsville.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Dorothy Devine Wurster; his children, Vice Admiral (Ret.) Charles D. (George Ann) Wurster of San Diego, CA, Lieutenant General Donald C. (Ronda) Wurster of Hurlburt AFB, FL; Robert A. (Dale) Wurster of Berkeley Springs, WV; Polly (Mark) Loy of St. Clairsville, OH; John P (Eva) Wurster of Rockwall, TX; George P. (Denise) Wurster of Winter Garden, FL and Richard A. Wurster of St. Clairsville, OH; a sister, Mary Ann Shearrow of Indianapolis, IN; 11 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

The family will receive friends at the Toothman Funeral Home, St. Clairsville, OH on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 from 2 p.m. until time of public services 4 p.m. with Rev. Wayne Ickes officiating. Private burial will take place at the West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY.

Memorial donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Salvation Army, 315 37th Street, Bellaire, OH 43906 or Valley Hospice, 10686 State Route 150, Rayland, OH 43943.