Storke Funeral Home Obituaries

CHARLES, Carlyle Hyatt, Colonel USA (Retired) 94 years old, of Winston-Salem, NC, St. Petersburg, Florida and Weimar, Germany, peacefully left this earth on 28 March 2022 at home in Weimar, Germany.  He was born 23 December 1927, in Winston-Salem, NC, son of Pauline Hyatt and Carl T. Charles. Colonel Charles attended Central, Wiley and Ardmore Elementary Schools and was a 1945 graduate from R.J. Reynolds High School. During this time he was active with the Boy Scouts (Troop 17), obtaining rank of Eagle with two Palms, the Sea Scouts (Ship 13), instrumental music (clarinet and oboe) and piano study. He graduated from Davidson College, Davidson, NC in 1949 majoring in physics and mathematics and obtained a commission as 2LT (Infantry). During Davidson College days, he was active in instrumental music (oboe) at the College and in the Charlotte Symphony and Charlotte Mint Museum Orchestras, was on the staff of the Brevard Music Camp (Brevard, NC), participated in athletics (football, track and wrestling), and in the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity.

After teaching instrumental music (bands) at McColl and Bennetsville High Schools in SC for a year, he was called to active duty at Fort Benning, GA. This led to a thirty-year military career in the Infantry (five years) and Corps of Engineers (twenty-five years) with service in Korea, Germany, France, and numerous posts in the USA including Assistant Professor of Military Science & Tactics at Marquette University, WI. Of special significance were his assignments as the Corps of Engineers Officer in charge of the design and construction of the Gravesite of President John F. Kennedy at Arlington Cemetery (three years) and his assignments directing civil works water resources projects in the mid-west (eight years). He retired, in 1978, at the rank of Colonel and went into private engineering consulting in Washington, DC and Frankfurt, Germany. In full retirement since 1992, he has maintained homes in Weimar, Germany and St. Petersburg, Florida.

He is survived by his wife, Genofefa (Jean) Bonarek Fries Charles; two sons by a first marriage to Jane Bukay Charles (1930-1989) of Wilmington, DE, namely: Curtis Donald Charles and wife Claudia Goeggel Charles with daughters, Christina Sarah Charles of Chicago, Illinois and Caren Diana Charles of California; Kenneth Wayne Charles and wife Sonni Hui Suk Chon Charles of Fairborn, OH; Stepdaughters; Celine Darlene Fries and husband Dr. Axel Steinhof with grandson Niels Tobias Steinhof of Weimar, Germany; Angelika Ursula Fries and ex-husband Joerg Schmidt-Fries of Wiesbaden, Germany, with daughters, Sarah Christina Fries and partner Andy Haas with great-grandson son, Harald (Harry) Felix Haas of Oberursel, Germany, and Nadine Sandra Fries of Wiesbaden, Germany.

He is pre-deceased by his parents, his first wife Jane and son Stephen Christopher Charles (wife Grace Myung Charles of Laurel, MD); and  brother Fred Charles (wife Lynn Charles of Orlando, Florida); and deceased sister Sarah Carolyn Charles (1937–2008) and husband deceased brother-in-law Tony Morss of New York, NY and Litchfield, CT.

He was an avid classical music listener and learner.  Enjoyed life, family and friends.  Took great interest in news, politics and greatly loved his country the USA.

A military funeral service with honors will be conducted at Arlington Cemetery, VA at 11:00 am on 9 June 2022 where he will be buried in ANC Section 8 Grave 9970.