He was born October 17, 1950, in St. Martinville, La. to the late Octave and Maude Escott (nee Robinson) Gutekunst. Charlie was one of nine children in the Gutekunst family. With a big family in Louisiana, they had many great reunions with crawfish boils and lots of great memories while vacationing in Navarre, Fla. He also enjoyed great times at Zydeco and Cajun music festivals with good friends! 

Charlie joined the SWFL community in 1989 working for Frizzell Architects. In 1993, he co-founded Green & Gutekunst Architecture. In 1995 his firm joined RS&H where he served as the Fort Myers office institutional program leader. 

During the recession, he co-founded RG Architects in 2012, from where he retired in 2022. 

He became a mentor to many young professionals  in the SWFL architectural community and positively impacted the design field, as well as the lives of many. Charlie served as the AIA president in 2002 working to advance the profession. During his career, his work received multiple design awards.

Charlie was a great artist and good designer. He was patient, positive, thoughtful and a wealth of knowledge. A natural mentor, he was supportive of other’s professional growth. He always had the time to explain things in a calm and well-spoken manner. With his unique sense of humor and ability to make anyone laugh, he was able to create a comfortable environment where questions were welcomed and the mentored felt embraced. 

He was family oriented and devoted to his wife, daughter and grandchildren. He brought this sense of family to his practice, by always wanting to know people on a personal level. For him, professional relationships were not just business, but rather an opportunity to foster friendships, which became his SWFL family.

Florida gave Charlie the gift of golf which brought him so much joy over the years. Charlie was a diehard New Orleans Saints and San Francisco Giants fan to the end. 

Charlie is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Eva Dell Gutekunst of Fort Myers, Fla.; daughter, Heidi Lafaver and her husband Dan of Golden, Colo.; eight brothers and sisters, Mary Morgan, Carol Lagarde (Hank), Yvonne Kolarik (Bill), Christine Berard (Dan), Patty Gutekunst, Claire Rogers (Ron), John Gutekunst (Avis) and Jo Gutekunst; two adored grandchildren, Molly and Indy; as well as many nieces, nephews, extended family members and friends. 

A Celebration of Charlie’s Life will be held Sunday, April 23, 2023, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Luminary Hotel in the Oxbow Restaurant, 2200 Edwards Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33901.

(Pd.Adv.)