He is survived by: his wife of 53 years, Alice; his sons, Adam Christopher, James Grayson, and Charles Ansel (III) and wife Skye; his grandchildren, Kassidy Emrys and wife Karen, Addison Grace, Ella Dawn Neudeck, Astrid Eloise, Björn Grayson, and Everett Ansel; his sister, Nancy Jane Underwood with husband Kenny; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his father and mother, Charles Ansel Newell and Jane Cowling Goodwin Newell, his uncle James Goodwin and wife Jean, and his brother John Goodwin Newell and wife Farris.
Known to his friends as “Chuck”, he was a lifelong scholar, always engaged in intellectual endeavors. Chuck earned his Bachelor of Arts from Campbell College and a Master of Arts in history at UNCG. He went on to become an esteemed educator, beginning his career as an instructor aboard naval vessels for Old Dominion University. As a history teacher for Guilford County Schools for more than 20 years, he was known to be a passionate and dedicated educator. He spearheaded a debate program at Northwest Senior High that achieved national recognition. At the American Hebrew Academy, he served as the chair of the History Department as well as founded a boating program through which he could share his love of the water. Chuck influenced the lives of numerous students with whom he maintained contact into their adult lives. In retirement, he taught courses about the implications of historical events on contemporary issues through the Shepherd Center.
Chuck believed in the power of civic engagement. He made it a priority to improve the communities around him. He was a founding member of the Dunleath Neighborhood Association, fka. Charles B. Aycock Neighborhood Association, and served on the Greensboro Historic Preservation Commission. He was a member of: the Chesapeake Bay foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Historical Society, Smithsonian Associates, North Carolina Association of Educators, Southern Historical Association, and the National Forensic League. Chuck served as a board member for the Guilford Revolving Fund, and he was a member of the Commission of Greensboro Human Relations. Additionally, he extended his hobbies of biking and sailing into his civic work by participating in fundraising events such as the Tour to Tanglewood (for MS) and the Oceans Classroom Foundation in which students deepened their understanding of life aboard the “Spirit of Massachusetts”.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Chuck at West Market Street United Methodist Church on August 6th at 2pm in Greensboro, NC.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, savingplaces.org or Bicycling in Greensboro, bikegso.org in memory of Charles A. Newell Jr.
