He did it his way
“Charley had an amazing ability to make you smile and had more love in his heart than anyone I ever met. If you were blessed to be loved by him, you knew you were loved,” Charley’s mom, Amber stated.
When young Charley saved twenty dollars, his mother took him to Walmart to spend it. He saw people collecting for a food bank. A giving child, he willingly gave his money to the cause. In middle school, he was close to an older couple in his neighborhood. They had a caregiver during the day, but could not manage their evening meals. Charley learned how to cook and went after school to cook for them so they could remain in their home. When he became older, he frequented a senior citizens apartment building where his great grandmother lived. Again, he showed his care and concern for others by carrying groceries, jumping cars, or changing tires for those who needed a little extra help.
Charley was an amazing big brother to his six siblings. Alex was the closest in age and Charley’s only full sibling. From the time Alex was born, Charley loved to feed him and be his caretaker. They enjoyed being together in the quiet of the woods, fishing in lakes and rivers, ponds, and streams, in the heart of Cherokee Nation, away from chaos and in the balance of nature. Charley was proud to be a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
After his parents divorced, his mom had three girls and his father had two more boys, so there was a span of 22 years between Charley and his youngest sister, who is one. Charley made time for all his siblings, creating special memories together. He enjoyed wrestling and exploring the outdoors with his two smaller brothers, Nicholas and Bentley. He took his sisters, Freedom, Rowdy, and Rubyann on brother/sister dates to the park or for food. Charley was their protector and educator and taught them they were important and valued.
In high school, he learned to weld and won a contest for building a scoreboard for the soccer field. He was offered a full scholarship for welding school. This led to his career in construction. Charley worked with his stepfather Kermit. They were Union Brothers. In addition to time at home, they worked jobs together and spent travel time in Kermit’s truck, where they laughed, joked, listened to music, and talked about life. In their discussions, Charley shared his desire to become a pipefitter and to have a wife and children to come home to in a house in the county.
Charley listened to various genres of music from Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson to Kevin Gates and Five Finger Death Punch. He also spent time riding and building bicycles and motorcycles and swimming with Alex at Piney Slab.
It was a football injury in his teens requiring surgery that led to Charley’s drug use a few years later. “He went from a loving child to being distant and angry; it led to legal problems and eventually his death,” Amber stated. “He was a man of very simple words and very simple dreams that were so obtainable, if only it had been different.”
Charles’ mother, Amber Hall, provided the information for this narrative.
January 3, 2000-December 31, 2023-Age 23
Portrait Artist: Shawn Faust
Narrative Writer: Barbara Francois
