Challenge
Capturing a thinker’s voice and his questions
Some people write their memoir to lock in answers. Charles Flavelle wasn’t one of them.
When we sat down with Charles and his wife, Lucile, we had already helped the family complete a legacy book for Purdys Chocolatier, the company Charles had led for more than four decades. That project had been a business triumph (as had a related children’s book — they’re story hungry!), but the next was to be more personal: a memoir for Charles himself.
This would not be a ghostwritten origin story.
A lifelong tinkerer — in business, in family, in household projects, in thought — Charles was deeply curious about how his life had taken shape. He didn’t want a memoir that tied everything up with a bow. He wanted to tell his own story, in his own words, as a way to wrestle with it.
Together with his family, we sat down to begin an open-ended exploration. There were joys to recount, heartbreaks to reckon with, questions to follow.
This was a man who didn’t want to be remembered as much as he wanted to remember.
Solution
A west coast mid-century memoir with an inquiring soul
The writing process was highly collaborative. Charles was the author — no question — but we worked closely to help shape the manuscript, folding in historical context, family ancestry, character vignettes, and reflections from Charles, Lucile, and their three children. Together, they shared a rich family story that held space for both celebration and grief.
Throughout, we preserved the wonder and curiosity that shaped Charles’s worldview. The voice of the book — genuine, inquisitive, unhurried — is unmistakably his. For the Flavelles, the process became an act of collective reflection and expression, especially as they revisited the loss of their son, Keith, who died in a mountaineering accident in his twenties.
Design-wise, we built a book that echoed Charles’s love of clean lines and west coast modernism. The cover palette took inspiration from Pacific forest and shore. Interior typography featured warm touches to differentiate each contributor’s voice.
And the visual materials — more than 100 captioned photos and keepsakes — spanned family life, business ventures, travel, and civic involvement. Overall, we cast the net wide, drawing on:
- West coast mid-century feel with playful, modern typography
- Dozens of primary voices included from Charles’ family and community
- Rich archival material from family albums, political archives, and personal collections
Result
A personal memoir that did more than remember
Charles, who passed away at 95 in 2024, held the final book in his hands six years earlier. He spent many months sharing the book, one copy at a time, with family and friends, each copy accompanied by a handwritten note that led to long exchanged correspondences — a lovely walk together down memory lane. Since his passing, A Life with a View has become a treasured part of Charles’s family’s story — and a values roadmap for the generations to come.
Family, friends, and colleagues alike speak of its intimacy, thoughtfulness, and uniqueness. It’s a quiet but powerful reflection on what makes a good life.
And it speaks to a meaningful pattern in Echo’s work. In this case, our first book with the Flavelles told the story of the business. This second book told the story of the man. We believe this one-two punch — corporate legacy first, personal legacy next — is one of the most rewarding and effective ways to honour the full spectrum of a founder’s life and work.
Watch Charles reflect on his story in the short video below. We watch it often, with a mixture of gratitude and grief.
One more cool thing...
A legacy picked up by the next generation
In 1997, Charles’s daughter Karen Flavelle bought the business from him. Under her leadership, Purdys expanded from 42 to over 80 locations and became a national philanthropic leader. In 2024, we began the next Flavelle book: Karen’s story.
One book for your business. One for your family. One story told two ways.
If you liked this story, you’ll love these. Whether you’re an owner or founder who has built a company worth remembering — and a life worth exploring — we can help you capture both.
- Company stories, Personal legacy
- construction
- BC Bearing Engineers
- Personal memoir + company history book
- Personal legacy
- food manufacturing
- René Fluri
- Personal memoir
- Company stories
- food
- Purdys Chocolates
- 100th anniversary book
- Company stories
- sporting goods
- Easton
- Centennial commemorative book
- Company stories
- franchise restaurants
- Taco John’s
- 50th anniversary book
- Company stories
- entertainment
- Pacific National Exhibition
- Centennial commemorative book