

Charlie was born on January 11, 1955, to James Brown Hitt, Jr. and Charlaine Tweedie. Charlie grew up on a farm near New Berlin, Illinois. He will be laid to rest in Woodwreath Cemetery, New Berlin, Illinois.
He died peacefully surrounded by family and friends at Memorial Medical Center on March 12, 2025, after a battle with Dementia.
Charlie married Karen Smarjesse in 1981. They moved from Illinois to Texas, beginning a journey that took them to many states nationwide. Recently, they returned home to Springfield, Illinois.
Charlie pursued a career in logistics and home delivery. He started as a contractor delivering lumber and worked his way up to become president of XPO Last Mile. He was well-known in the home delivery industry, and his colleagues fondly remember his lively personality and impactful mentorship. Charlie was a founder and Director Emeritus of the National Home Delivery Association. He served on the board of the Trefethen-Evergreen Improvement Association in Peaks Island, Maine.
Those who knew Charlie know he was incredibly passionate about cars. He enjoyed restoring cars and racing on tracks across North America with his car-loving friends. Charlie loved spending time on the Maine coast with his family and friends every summer. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother James Brown Hitt. Charlie is survived by his wife Karen, son Reid (Hilary Doyle), and grandchildren Theo and Odette (Dot).
He is also survived by his siblings, Mary (John) Davis, Libby (Bill) Shelley, and Ben Hitt; nieces and nephews Collin (Mary) Hitt, Lauren Hitt, Jessica (Luke) Maynerich, Caroline Davis, Alex Shelley, and Claire Shelley; also mother-in-law Rita Smarjesse, sister-in-laws Janet (John Henrikson) Rawlings and Patti (Ramon) Perez and brother-in-law Mike (Rhonda) Smarjesse and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. We would like to extend our deepest thanks to the ER staff at Memorial Medical Center and the staff at Concordia Memory Care (where he lived for the last two months). We owe a debt of gratitude to Kyle, his wonderful personal caregiver.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org) or the Springfield Art Association (https://www.springfieldart.org) or Wooden It Be Lovely, https://woodenitbelovely.love/donate
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at Island Grove United Methodist Church, 16128 Old Jacksonville Rd., New Berlin.
A Celebration of Life will follow at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at Illini Country Club, 1601 Illini Rd., Springfield.
Private family burial will be held at Woodwreath Cemetery in New Berlin.
The family is being served by Butler Funeral Home – Springfield, 900 S. Sixth St., Springfield.
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