Charles Edgar Courtney, Jr., died on March 19, 2025. He was 89. A long-time member [1997-2025] and contributor of the Triglav Circle, Charles served on our Board of Directors and also regularly represented the Circle in the annual Harmony with Nature dialogues sessions on each Earth Day at the United Nations in New York.   

Read more: In Memoriam

Born on November 2, 1935, in Elkhart, Kansas, the son of a Presbyterian Church pastor, Charles studied philosophy at Monmouth College. There, he met his future wife Bonnita or “Bonnie.” In 1957, he enrolled at Harvard Divinity School, graduating with a divinity degree.  He then earned his Ph.D. at Northwestern, working on his dissertation at La Sorbonne.

In 1964, Charles joined the philosophy department at Drew University. At Drew, Charles taught philosophy of religion at the Seminary and Graduate Schools. He served as Acting Dean of the Seminary in 1977 and Dean of Student Life during 1987-88. During 1989-1992, served as Executive Director of the Society for Values in Higher Education in Washington, D.C. and retired from the philosophy department at Drew in 2004.

A lifelong athlete, Charlesran the Boston Marathon in 1972 and the New York City Marathon in 1971. Charles and Bonnie continued their love of adventure and visited Egypt, France, Senegal, Scotland, and Turkey. He also loved Bonnie’s lovely soprano voice, and together they joined the Harmonium Choral Society. Charles was a board member of the ATD Fourth World Movement, a non-profit founded in France that brings attention to those suffering from persistent poverty around the world, and on the board of RAMP, a New Jerseyrefugee resettlementnon-profit.

Following many years of devoted care by Charles, Bonnie died in 2021 just shy of their 63rd anniversary. On March 29, 2025, Charles was buried, together with Bonnie’s ashes, at Vail Cemetery in Parsippany, New Jersey. All are welcome to attend a Celebration of Life at the Presbyterian Church of Madison, Webb Chapel, 19 Green Street, Madison, New Jersey, on May 24, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. For those unable to attend, the service will be available the following day on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@presbyterianchurchofmadiso6116

Charles’s compete obituary can be found online at:

Charles E. Courtney, Jr. Obituary (1935 – 2025) – New Providence, New Jersey