Charlene B. Price

Charlene Buran Price, longtime resident of Galena, IL, passed away peacefully in her home in Milwaukee, WI, at the age of 90. Charlene’s family will host a Celebration of Life at the Galena United Methodist Church, 125 Bench Street, Galena, on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. The receiving line will begin at 10 a.m.; the service will follow at 11 a.m. A light luncheon will be hosted afterwards in the church reception hall. The Furlong Funeral Chapel in Galena is assisting the family. Born in Iron River, WI, in 1935 to Charles and Florence Buran, her life experiences took her across the globe, but her Wisconsin roots continued to pull her back. After graduating first in her class (of 10) from Iron River High School in 1953, Charlene attended Wisconsin State College – Superior (now UW Superior), intending to major in art. Not finding the type of instruction she was seeking, Charlene transferred to UW-Milwaukee, where she majored in special education. Upon graduation, a friend convinced her to interview for a stewardess job, and she was hired by United Airlines. As a “stew,” she lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Salt Lake City, and Denver, and her work trips took her as far as the Hawaiian Islands. She received an award for memorizing the names of her passengers, many of whom became lifelong friends, and often brought homemade cookies for them. While working with United, she met the love of her life, Bob Price, who was a United pilot. The two were married in Georgetown, Colorado, in January 1960. Bob and Char loved to travel together, visiting Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Australia among other places, and met many friends along the way. After welcoming their first two children, Erik and Serena, into the world, Bob and Charlene moved to Tower Lakes, Illinois (outside of Chicago), to be closer to family in Wisconsin and Iowa. There, Charlene returned to her oil painting, taking classes and entering numerous exhibitions and competitions. It was there that they also welcomed their third child, Kristina, into the world. In 1974, they moved to Delavan, WI, where they became an integral part of the Delavan United Church of Christ. In her time there, she was an active member of the choir. She spearheaded several civic-minded projects, including the resettlement of Vietnamese refugee families into the Delavan community. She remained close with those families until her death. She was also active with the Aram Public Library, feeding her love of books. In 1994, they relocated to Illinois, ultimately settling in Galena, where she became active in the Galena United Methodist Church, serving on their Mission Outreach Committee (originating the “Change for the Good” project), organizing the Grant birthday celebration, and singing in the choir. She was also one of the founding board members of the Galena Center for the Arts and volunteered for Hello Galena!, an art cooperative for local artists. It was in Galena that she was finally able to concentrate fully on her painting, which was prolific and beautiful. In 2024, she moved – full circle – to Milwaukee, settling into St. Camillus retirement community to be closer to her children. She was only there for a short time but became well known for her art and her smile. Charlene will always be remembered for her kindness and her selflessness – she was always concerned about others above herself. She also made her mark as an artist, and many who knew her enjoyed her art through her exhibitions, the paintings they bought, or the cards they received from her. Charlene was predeceased by her parents and her brothers Buzz, Herb, John, and Paul, and her husband, Robert Price. She will be missed by many in the various communities she lived in, but most of all by her siblings, children and grandchildren: Serena Hodges (sister); Robert Buran (brother); Charles Buran (brother); Erik (son), Erika (granddaughter) and Ethan (grandson) Price; Serena (daughter), Bill (son-in-law), Tommy (grandson), Billy (grandson) and Nina (granddaughter) Wiltshire; and Kristina (daughter), Tony (son-in-law), Peter (grandson) and Payton (granddaughter) Vourax. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial to the Galena United Methodist Church (https://www.galenaumc.org/support-us) or the Galena Center for the Arts (https://www.galenacenterforthearts.org/donate). The family would like to sincerely thank Jean Pregowski and the nursing and other staff members at St. Camillus for the wonderful, loving care they gave Charlene in her final days.