Deceased Members–2002

In Memory of Charles W. McMahon

Charles William McMahon, FSA, MAAA, died on Friday, August 30, 2002 of cancer. He was born on April 30, 1919 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. (His father was a former town mayor.) He was the oldest of seven children and is survived by his wife Sara Helen (Hurst) of 61 years, sister Helen Olson of Minneapolis, Minn., and eight of nine of his children. His many friends knew him as Chuck or Charlie and fondly remember him for his upbeat sense of humor and his enthusiastic passion for golf.

He graduated from the University of Iowa in actuarial sciences in June 1940 and began his career working for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in New York City. He passed parts 1 and 2 of the actuarial exams in 1941–42. In 1943, Charles was commissioned a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and was stationed in Europe. He passed his last actuarial exam in 1951 and became a Fellow of the SOA.

He joined the Union Central Life Insurance Company (Cincinnati) in 1952 and retired from there in 1984 as senior vice president and chief actuary. He was a current member of the Board of Governors of the Summit Investment Partners. Harry Rossi, former CEO and Chairman of Union Central and a long time friend and coworker, recalled Chuck as being "the finest gentleman I have ever known–dedicated to his work and someone who helped to develop many new products for the company." He was respected and admired by his associates and friends.