Charles B. Holleran of New York City and Great Barrington, MA died May 25, whispering "enough, already" in his battle with cancer. His wife, the former Kathryn Healy was close by his side as she had been for more than 22 years. Beginning with their first date in a tiny town in the Swiss Alps to his final moments Kathryn and Charlie built a deep, uncommon bond full of joy, adventure, humor, friendship, and love - especially love.

He had limitless pride in and a deep love for his children: Michelle and her husband Chris Budicini of Ridgefield CT, Kevin, and his wife Amy (Dugan) of Augusta GA, and Renee and her husband Ernie Buonaccorsi of Medway, MA. He loved being their friend as much as he loved being their dad.

He was known as Charlie to most, Chuck to his oldest friends, Charles to brothers and cousins and Dad to his children and their spouses. Some of his other aliases were friend, advisor, editor, ghostwriter, colleague, confidant, neighbor, shoulder-to-cry-on, breakfast cook, carpenter, handyman, golfing buddy and - to a precious few: "best boss I ever had." But his favorite moniker was Pop, which is how he was known to his nine grandchildren: Melissa, Patrick and Jenna Budicini; Katie, Ryan and Caroline Holleran; Jake, Samantha and Alexandra Buonaccorsi. According to Charlie none of his grandchildren ever did a single bad thing in their entire lives - well, maybe a few of the girls had, but they were very young and spirited at the time. His grandchildren filled his heart with a kind of love he never knew was there until they came along.

Charlie, the third of four boys, was born in Scranton, PA to the late Martin J. and Aileen H. (Biglin) Holleran on May 6, 1945. His childhood home was filled with an extended family that included various relatives, assorted local characters and long-term visitors. Politics, religion, and current events were frequent dinner table topics and children were not only invited but expected to participate. Any side of any argument could be embraced just for the sport of it. There was also lots of singing and endless telling and retelling of family lore with facts added or subtracted as the storyteller saw fit. All of this gave Charlie a life-long appetite for a good yarn, spirited debate, lively discourse, and self-deprecating humor.

His three brothers were: Jack (wife Gail), the oldest who died tragically many years ago; Jim, the youngest, (wife Sandra) who died more recently and Mart (wife Kathy), who survives him. His brothers were his life-long best friends, close confidants, and uninvited as well as uninhibited advisors. Mart, Jim, and Charlie traveled together to Ireland many times, frequently with Amil Minora, an old friend from Scranton, in tow to fill out the foursome and sometimes get stuck with the pub tab. It is unlikely that any other foursome ever had more fun picking on each other, telling great stories and playing mediocre golf. A nephew once remarked: "The Holleran brothers could have fun in a refrigerator."

Charlie graduated from South Scranton Catholic High School in 1963 and the University of Scranton in 1967. He used to tell his grandchildren that he finished in the top 99 percent of his class until they figured out what that really meant. Following college, he worked at The Catholic Light, a Scranton diocesan newspaper, where an unforgiving editor taught him the importance of precision in the written word, humiliating lessons that served him well the rest of his life. He left Scranton to join IBM, where he spent 20 years in 14 different jobs, learning every aspect of Communications and Marketing. After IBM, he went on to hold the top communications jobs at Travelers Insurance, Digital Equipment Corporation, PwC, Coca-Cola, Computer Associates and Ford Motor Company.

Throughout his career, Charlie focused on finding and nurturing talent and developing people to their fullest potential. A number of people followed Charlie to two or even three different companies. He was particularly proud of the women and men who worked with him (he seldom said 'worked for') and went on to be Chief Communications and/or Marketing Officers at Hess Petroleum, Verizon, INTEL, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, Mobil Oil, Computer Associates, UKG, Unisys Bloomberg, Stanley Black & Decker and SUNY Stoney Brook. There are also numerous Advertising and Public Relations agency leaders and one US Congressman in Charlie's distinguished alumni.

Charlie didn't want people to say he fought a "courageous battle with cancer." He was much more likely to spit in its eye and speak of this dreaded disease in expletives. But he did see undying courage and tireless support in his loved ones and enormous persistence in the medical professionals at Memorial Sloan Kettering, led by Dr. Michael Morris, who fought a battle they could only prolong but never win. His greatest lament was for the sadness he knew loved ones would feel at his passing but expressed great confidence that happy memories and tears of joy would soon replace any sorrow.

Charlie will be buried in his beloved hometown of Scranton. Visiting hours will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Neil W. Regan Funeral Home, 1900 Pittston Ave., Scranton, PA. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish at St. Paul of the Cross Church on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., followed by interment at Cathedral Cemetery.