Mt. Lebanon dentist Dr. Charles Oakley retires
Dr. Charles “Gus” Oakley and his wife, Judy, have been married 50 years.
Dr. Charles “Gus” Oakley shares a laugh with State Sen. Matt Smith (D-Mt. Lebanon) and Warren Galiffa of Bethel Park at recent gathering to celebrate Oakley’s retirement. The 75-year-old dentist was recognized by the senator for his service to his community and country. Dr. Oakley served in the Navy and on the Bethel Park School Board. He also practiced denistry for 49 years in the Mt. Lebanon home that he was reared.
After celebrating his 75th birthday, Dr. Charles Oakley, better known as just “Gus,” retired from dentistry. The long-time Bethel Park resident practiced 49 years in the Mt. Lebanon home he was reared, and he also taught for 32 years at the University of Pittsburgh.
“We’ll miss him,” said patient Sue Loeffert. “Dr. Oakley is a great dentist.”
Sen. Matt Smith (D-Mt. Lebanon) thought so, too. Therefore, Smith, who attended Bethel Park High School when the dentist served on the school board, felt it worthy to honor Dr. Oakley. During a recent retirement/birthday party, the senator presented Gus with a proclamation.
“(Dr. Oakley) has meant so much to Bethel Park,” Smith said. “His service has been unbelievable and it’s a great testament to how he cares about his community and his country.”
Born March 24, 1940, Gus graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School, Westminster College and the University of Pittsburgh. For 20 years, he served, with honor and distinction, in the United States Navy Reserve. Last Aug. 15, he celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary. The couple renewed their vows with their son, Dr. Geoff Oakley, also a dentist, serving as best man. Their daughter, Michelle, works for the Kalamazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau and is married to hockey coach Marc Fakler. The Oakleys have four grandchildren: Marissa, a freshman at Pitt, Evan, a junior at Bethel Park, Cullen, 4, and Rylan, 18 months.
“I have had a great life,” said Dr. Oakley. “So many fond memories.”
The recollections started as a youth when Gus would watch his father, attired completely in white, work. Dr. Charles E. Oakley Sr. started the family practice out of their house, located on Castle Shannon Boulevard. “It really was a home and an office,” said the son of Jane Oakley.
While Gus maintained the office throughout his career, he built his home in Bethel Park and raised his family alongside his dearest friend, Bill Douds, also a Westminster graduate. Next-door neighbors, Bill and Ginny Douds had two sons, Bill and Michael. Bill excelled in baseball and Michael shone in basketball.
“We coached together,” Gus recalled. “We had a rule that neither one of us could yell at our own son, but we could yell at each other’s kid. My greatest personal achievement was raising my family with my wife,” Gus added.
Through his work and through his social interactions, Gus said that he has met “many wonderful people.” A lot of his friends now live now in the retirement community known at Eagle Trace in Bethel Park. “As a neighbor,” said Warren Galiffa, an Eagle Trace resident for more than 10 years, “I can say Gus is and was always concerned about doing everything correctly. He always wanted things to look right and be right. If something wasn’t, then he’d come to you ant tell you how to remedy the situation. He may seem rough on the outside but on the inside he is pretty soft.”
At first, Galiffa was skeptical of Gus. He recalled how Gus promoted Smith in his senatorial run. “It was the craziest thing,” said Galiffa, a hard-core Democrat. “Gus is a die-hard Republican and Matt is a Democrat. Gus wanted me to vote for Matt. Here I am thinking, ‘well, Matt must be a closet Republican,’ but then I realized Gus was just his friend. That’s how loyal he is.”
Gus proved loyal to the citizens of Bethel Park. He served on the school board for 10 years, including two as president. He was president of the Bethel Park Hockey Association and managed baseball and softball teams in the youth associations. He said his proudest moment as a public servant was resolving the teachers’ strike in 1979. During his school board tenure, Gus did win over some skeptics.
“Gus was on the other side and we felt he was anti-teacher,” said retired educator George Dresmich, who was an officer in the union and negotiated several contracts. “I think he did not see clearly what we (as teachers) were doing for the kids, but when the new superintendent (Dr. Robert) McNaugthon came in, Gus sort of changed and once his own kids were involved, he looked at things differently. He turned. Teachers weren’t so bad. But, Gus has always been real supportive of the kids.”
For 32 years, Gus has been supportive of educating young adults enthused about becoming dentists. He has taught at Pitt’s dental school for more than three decades. Soon, his son will join his wife, Marne, on the faculty.
“So by 2018, there will have been 50 years of Oakleys at Pitt,” Gus said proudly. “As a dentist, I am pleased with what I have been able to accomplish at Pitt, helping get the dental school where it is.”
Regarding the practice in general, Oakley added, he is thrilled with what he has been able to do for his patients. “The biggest thing has been implants for people with dentures. Being able to give them the ability to chew again,” he said. “When I first started doing them, implants were very new.”
Not new to Gus has been his faith. He attended All Saints Episcopal Church when it was located on Boyce Road. Now that the church is located in Brighton Heights, the family travels to the North Side of Pittsburgh for services. According to Father Dick Pollard and his wife, Susan, Gus is a rock in the congregation.
“He has a good and godly manner,” they said. “He has been a blessing to us all.”