Former colleague looking to find a lost friend

It's a simple photo of a young boy fishing with his father. And Jeff Ellis wants to give it to them. But the problem is, he doesn't know where Chuck Ireland and his son, Charlie, are.

It’s a simple photo of a young boy fishing with his father.

And Jeff Ellis wants to give it to them. But the problem is, he doesn’t know where Chuck Ireland and his son, Charlie, are.

Ellis, who now lives in Rainier, Oregon, had become friends with Ireland in the 1980s when he worked in Tacoma at Thermal Supply. Ireland owned his own heating and air conditioning repair business in Silverdale and came to Thermal Supply to buy parts.

The two men struck up a friendship and on a hot summer day in about 1985 or 1986, they went fishing on the Nisqually River. They took Ireland’s then 10-year-old son Charlie along with them.

“It was a beautiful summer day,” Ellis said. “We had pretty good luck that day and we took some pictures with the fish we caught. I have one of Chuck and Charlie with a big fish that’s just really cute. I’d always meant to give it to him, but just never did.”

Then, a few years later, Ellis moved to Yakima with Thermal Supply where he lived for several years before going to work for the post office. Eventually that job took him to Oregon.

“Periodically, throughout the years, I tried to track him down,” Ellis said. “And then recently, I tried Facebook, but there are just so many Chuck Irelands on Facebook that that got me nowhere.”

So, now, Ellis is reaching out to Kitsap area newspapers hoping somebody will know what became of Ireland.

“Since I left the area, I haven’t heard anything about him,” Ellis said. “I can’t even remember the name of his company.”

But the photos of that day are a reminder that he wants to put back in Ireland’s hands. He’s hoping a neighbor or a customer of Ireland’s may know where he is today.

“It’s just such a cute picture of Charlie,” Ellis said. “By now that kid would would be about 40 years old. I just think he’d want to have these pictures.”

If anyone knows anything about Chuck Ireland or his son, Charlie, call Ellis at 360-430-0306 or email jeffellis@msn.com.