Charles Stephen Alford Sr.

Charles Stephen Alford, Sr. passed away peacefully December 24, 2021 in Greenville, NC with his wife and sons by his side. Born January 13, 1944 in New Bern, Charles attended New Bern Academy, New Bern High School, Edwards Military Institute, Campbell College, and East Carolina University where he attained a Masters in Education (concentration in Rehabilitation Counseling). He worked for the State for 30 years as a rehabilitation counselor.

Charles enjoyed collecting and playing with model trains and organized regular train shows. He belonged to many train clubs and was a founding member of the Eastern Carolina Railroaders. A lover of playing saxophone and trumpet since his youth, Charles founded the Tar River Community Band, co-founded the Emerald City Big Band, played in the praise band at St. James United Methodist Church, and played in numerous other musical groups. He also co-founded the Friends of Jazz at the ECU School of Music. Charles was a long-time member of Jarvis Memorial United Methodist Church in Greenville. A sports enthusiast and coach, Charles photographed for the local Hot Stove baseball league. He medaled in the state Senior Olympics and competed in Nationals. He was a Boy Scout leader, guiding both his sons to the rank of Eagle Scout. Charles was also an avid fishermen and loved landscaping.

Charles was predeceased by his parents, John Henry Alford and Bessie Mae Taylor Alford. He is survived by his wife, Hilda Jean Stanford Alford; his sons Charles Stephen Alford, Jr. (Yesenia Lisbeth Soler Redondo de Alford) of Merritt Island, FL and John Franklin Alford (Melissa VanGilder Alford) of Raleigh; his grandchildren Taylor Beck Alford and Avery Katelyn Alford of Raleigh; Diego Esteban Manuel Alford, Noah Caleb Sebastian Alford, and Charly Jacob Joseph Alford of Merritt Island. A memorial service will be held at Jarvis Memorial United Methodist Church on January 15th at 11AM with private burial following. Visitation will be at the home on Friday, January 14th at 4PM. An online obituary with opportunity for comments can be seen at the website for Cotten Funeral Home (New Bern, NC).In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Ed Wheatley ECU Jazz Scholarship that Charles helped found. Checks can be written out to ECU Foundation with “Ed Wheatley ECU Jazz Scholarship” in the memo line, and mailed to Danny Wunker, 1016 Trinity Drive, Greenville, NC 27834. Online giving can be done at Gofundme.com by searching for “Ed Wheatley”.

Cotten Funeral Home is honored to serve the family and friends of Charles Stephen Alford, Sr.