Charles Albert Messier, Jr., aka Chuck, aka Dad, Grandpa, Husband, Brother, Uncle, and maybe a few other words at times, cashed in his ticket for a front row seat in heaven on Sunday February 27th at 9:02pm. He passed peacefully, surrounded by family, and blanketed in a circle of so much love, both in the room and from family and friends across the globe.
Born in Temple, Texas on February 14th, 1943 to Helen (Canovitch) Messier and Charles Messier, Sr, this Valentine’s Day baby who was the eldest of 4 siblings (Donald, Connie and Paul) spent most of his childhood in Rhode Island and then Hollywood… Florida that is… where he was the Robert Redford of that neck of the woods. (Side-note, HE was the one who thought he looked like Robert Redford… we thought Fred Flintstone was a bit of a closer comparison.)
Growing up, “Tex” as he was sometimes called, loved helping his dad cook, playing hockey, and attempting to win the coveted title of “King of eating the most White Castle burgers in one sitting” … with his record only ever being 15.
He had the good sense to fall in love with an incredible woman that his sister Connie introduced him to in Florida in 1974 - Jill Fletcher. And after pouring on the Chuck Messier charm, Jill became his wife. They married on July 26th, 1975 in Barboursville, WV. He rocked an amazing white polyester suit with a black trim ruffled shirt and married the most beautiful bride in the world. He finally had found the person who was smarter than him, who could see through his crap, and who he’d navigate the winding roads of life with for the rest of his days.
Over the years, they lived in West Virginia, Illinois, Florida, and North Carolina. They traveled the world, enjoyed unforgettable times with friends, loved great food, and relished a relaxing night in, especially at their home in the mountains – probably watching the movie Tin Cup, he was ALWAYS watching Tin Cup.
Five of us are lucky enough to call him Dad… and sometimes Chuckles because he raised a bunch of smart-alecs - Scott, Debbie, Marissa, Adam and Andrew. Hopefully we have the perfect blend of his snark, his smarts, and his zero tolerance for bullsh*t that will continue to carry us through our lives.
As kids, we would ask – ”Dad, where are we going to dinner tonight?” His answer would always be, Chez Messier, when we wanted it to be McDonald’s.
He would make us eat one bite of vegetables for every age we were and claimed we would leave two peas on the plate and eight on the floor.
He was the loudest, biggest, proudest fan at every one of our sporting events. You could hear him bragging across the softball complex or ice rink or volleyball court – “that’s my daughter or that’s my son.”
He admired his kids’ great taste in spouses – Scott’s wife Malissa, Debbie’s partner Mick, Marissa’s husband Chris, Adam’s wife Maurissa, and Andrew’s wife Holly. And never hesitated to give them advice, especially on how to cook steak. Spoiler alert – well done is for wusses. And don’t ask for A-1.
He was Grandpa aka Grumpa or Grumps… because, well if you knew him, you know why… to his 10 grandkids (Greyson, Madison, Slader, Stryder, Tyler, Camden, Leah, Fletcher, Cora, and Emersyn) and 4 granddogs (Zermatt, Kona, Roxy and Lina).
He spent much of his career as a stockbroker, including many years on the Chicago Board of Trade yelling about soybeans and corn and options while throwing papers on the ground in his bright colored jacket. He worked for several different financial firms – Legg Mason, Merrill Lynch – and several others with probably some sort of regal animal as their mascot. For everyone he loved, he was always there with financial advice… whether you wanted it or not.
He was every customer service rep’s nightmare and loved a good fight to get exactly what he wanted.
He was the first to buy any sort of new technology (anyone want a Laser Disc player?) and had a passion for cars that he went through like they were going out of style.
He had zero fashion sense, as evidenced by a well-worn pair of yellow sweatpants and a belly shirt he thought was appropriate attire in the 80’s, though he could rock a 70’s butterfly collar leisure suit with flair.
He was the family cook, our daily meteorologist, our chauffer, our rock.
An avid golfer, he had two hole-in-ones and has the plaques to prove it. He had the chance to play courses across the country, and especially loved his beloved mountain course in Beech Mountain, NC.
He was the king of tracking our locations on Find My Friends, never hesitating to text a witty comment about where we were. He no doubt has a front row seat in heaven to keep on tracking us every single day.
And while not all the extended family made the tracking app, he’s survived by some pretty great ones, including a 97-year-old mother-in-law, Jeanne Fletcher, many sister and brother-in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews - all of whom he will miss drinking a glass of boxed wine with.
And while he wasn’t always the most overtly emotional guy, when he said “I love you” he meant it with every bit of his soul, and you felt it.
One of his last pieces of sage advice to my Mom was – “Don’t get a dog.” Ever practical, ever worried about dog pee on the floor, but ever putting other people’s feelings before his own. He was one-of-a-kind and we are so lucky that a piece of him lives on in all of us.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday April 2nd at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Lake Mary, FL from 1:00 – 4:00 pm.
It will also be live-streamed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/hclm
A memorial service in the church will be followed by a reception with samplings of Charles’ favorite foods and beverages to toast to his amazing life.
We’ll share stories, share laughs, share love, as well as enjoy some of Dad’s favorite foods and beverages so we can toast to an unforgettable man and the one heck of a life he lived.
In lieu of flowers, feel free to honor him with a donation to Holy Cross Lutheran Academy at https://thehcla.org/donate/ OR go out with loved ones and play a round of golf, enjoy a good steak and a great (cheap) glass of wine and remember him fondly. Just make sure you don’t overpay. That’s how he would want it.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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