Saturday, March 21, 2020
To Charlie's family:
I am so sorry. My prayers are with not only Charlie, but all of you.
I have MANY memories of Charlie! And they are all good! :
+++My first memory of Charlie is around 1962, when he took over the basement of our home at 161 Dorchester. He had moved up from Georgia, and was living with us. It was Christmas-time, and he was making a Christmas present for mom and dad, but he needed the basement to his own in order to make it. It turned out to be a Great present! You see, we had a piano upstairs, but it had no bench to sit upon. Charlie made a fantastic bench that could be opened up to put sheet music in! Thank you Charlie!!!
+++My next memory of Charlie was the first time he worked at Hill TV. It was the sixties, we were a tiny store, and his help was huge!
+++Fast forward to the mid seventies...Charlie had left Hill TV in the sixties for a great job at Xerox. However, in the mid seventies, business at Hill TV had dramatically increased and we needed help from "Ol Reliable". Charlie came back to Hill TV to help out on a part-time basis. I'm super happy he did, because it was through that that I became more than Charlie's nephew, I became his pal!
+++There were Many a day in the mid-seventies that Charlie and I went out for a couple beers after work. Some of the bars we went to were not of the best character. Certainly the most memorable time was the night we went to a "gentleman's club" and were sitting, minding our own business enjoying the show, when it became known to me that the bouncer had a bone to pick with me, and he was not going to allow me to leave till he spoke to me. We sat there trying to figure a way to quietly sneak out of there, but with no luck. Charlie stepped up to the plate. It was to be me and Charlie against this big 300 pound Bozo!!! Finally, after having another beer for courage, we got up and nervously went to the door. "You want to see me?" I stuttered. The bouncer angrily poked me in the chest and said: "Yeah! You sold my parents a TV, … AND I'M BUYING YOU A BEER!!!" We almost died in relief. The guy had been busting our chops. We sat with him, and became fast friends!!! What a wild night!
+++Next memory: Fast forward to late seventies. Charlie and I go to Las Vegas with mom and dad, staying at Caesar's Palace. I'm not sure if mom and dad had a riot, but me and Charlie sure did!!!
+++Now, the eighties...Charlie and I took the Rochester Zenith's huge RV up to Montreal in 1980 to see the Sugar Ray Leonard/Roberto Duran fight. We took about 8 other guys with us. It was one of the wildest nights of my life. Great fight, but what happened after made it look tame. Let me just say that there are 10 guys in Rochester that are pretty much not welcome back in Montreal!!!
+++In the early eighties, my dad purchased a restaurant/bar named Sir Richard's. Charlie and Linda were 2 of it's most fun regulars. Many, many laughs were had there. Plus, they were a main part of the Sir Richard Softball Extravaganza!!!
+++Lastly, the Super Bowl parties in the eighty's... The party would begin at 9pm on Saturday night, and end the next day after the Super Bowl. 24 hours of laughs. Charlie was the official Bartender each year!
Thank you Charlie, and thanks for your friendship!!! God Bless you.
I love you,
Nephew Bob
