Margaret gave her airline seat to Eva so that a mom might spend a few moments with her dying son.

Charles V. Kendall was born in San Francisco, California on July 15, 1921, to Mr. and Mrs. Kendall; his mother's name was Eva. Additional siblings in the Kendall family have not been identified. Charles spent many of his formative years in Santa Cruz, living at the home of his uncle Al Seidlinger. He entered Santa Cruz High School in about 1937 where he spent the next three years. After completing high school, he enrolled in the University of California in Berkeley, where he studied for two years. Prior to entering the service, Charles Kendall met and married Margaret and worked part time as a clerk.

On August 27, 1942, Kendall entered the US Army while still living in Berkeley. After completing basic training, he was assigned to Camp Kearns Air Base near Salt Lake, City, Utah, a temporary facility that trained over 40,000 airmen. It is possible that Private Kendall was used in a clerical capacity during that assignment.

In April 1943 Charles was diagnosed with an unspecified illness or condition that continued to worsen. When his wife and mother were informed of the serious nature of his condition, they attempted to schedule transportation to the base to be by his side. Only one airline ticket was available; Margaret insisted that her mother-in-law fly while she took a train. Eva arrived in time to spend an hour with her son, but Margaret was too late for a final goodbye when her husband Private Charles Kendall passed away on April 29, 1943. His body was returned to Santa Cruz for a military funeral and interment in Oakwood Memorial Park on May 3, 1943.

(CBR; NARA2; SCSn May 4, 1943 2:4; Alexander/Fish, Defense Industry of Utah, http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/d/DEFENSE. html, [16 Sept. 2008]; Oakwood Memorial Park Survey November 12, 2007)