Charles William McLurkin

Charles William (Charlie) McLurkin, 88, of Newburgh passed away on Monday, September 13, 2021. He was born May 4, 1933 in Chester County, SC to the late Charles Andrew and Eliza (Branham) McLurkin. The family moved from South Carolina to Hedgesville, WV in 1935 and settled upon his mother’s family home-place. It was there that Charlie completed his elementary and high school education. He graduated from Hedgesville High School on May 24, 1951 at the height of the Korean War and 14 days later he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was promoted to 2nd Class Petty Officer in 1954 and on June 7, 1955 he received an Honorable Discharge. Charlie enrolled as a student at Shepherd College, Shepherdstown, WV under the G.I. Bill of Rights and started classes in September 1955. He had been introduced to Teresa Helen Fellers by her sister, Florence and they married on August 25, 1956. He received a Bachelor of Science degree on June 2, 1968 and was named Outstanding Student in Biology. He applied for and was granted a graduate assistantship at Marshall College in Huntington, WV. Teresa worked in the Dean’s office until their first child (Cynthia Brice) was born in February. He was granted a Masters Degree in Biological Science on July 17, 1959 and he immediately accepted an offer from the FDA as a GS-7 Food and Drug Inspector. The FDA district office was in Cincinnati covering Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, which resulted in him traveling about 50 per cent of the time. Their second daughter (Mary Beth) was born in September 1960. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to FDA Food and Drug Inspector GS-9. On May 11, 1962, Charlie joined Mead Johnson and Company as Associate Scientist, Quality Control and began a career lasting more than thirty-one years with the Mead Johnson/Bristol Myers Squibb group of companies. His first assignment was as the company’s representative at a contractor manufacturer’s plant in Springfield, MO. In July 1962, the family moved from Cincinnati to Springfield, where they lived for nearly five years. They bought their first home and their sons were born in Springfield (William Andrew in September 1962 and John Douglas in 1965). He later accepted a new position as Supervisor, International Manufacturing Services, and the family relocated to Evansville, IN in March of 1967. That year, Charlie made his first overseas business trip to Belgium, France and Germany. Teresa hosted her first dinner that year with international guests. There would be many more of these same activities in the coming years. At the end of 1968, Mead Johnson Company merged with Bristol-Myers Company. Following a corporate reorganization, Charlie was transferred to Bristol-Myers International Division in Syracuse, NY as Assistant Director of Quality Control. The family moved to Manlius, NY in 1969 and they remained there until their children finished college and left home. He held a number of executive quality assurance positions in Bristol-Myers companies (International Division and International Group). In 1989, Bristol-Myers merged with Squibb and their International Group was eliminated. He was given the opportunity to finish his career in Evansville, IN. They relocated and he retired on January 15, 1993 at 59, working nearly 31 years with the company. Charlie lived in 6 states (South Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana and New York). The combination of business and personal travel allowed him to walk on the 7 continents and visit more than 50 countries and sleep in more than 30 states. After retirement he became very interested in genealogy and in 2006 published a hardcover book, “McLurkin/Fellers Family History”. He was a member of Newburgh Presbyterian Church and American Legion Post #44. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Teresa (Fellers) McLurkin of Newburgh; sons, John McLurkin of Newburgh and Andrew McLurkin of Raleigh, NC; daughters, Cynthia (McLurkin) Williford of Melbourne, FL and Mary Beth (McLurkin) Fletcher of Elgin,IL; eight grandchildren; one great grandchild; and sister, Margaret (McLurkin) Stelle of Georgetown, TX. A Funeral Service will be 12:00 p.m., Saturday, September 18, 2021 at Alexander Newburgh Chapel, 5333 State Road 261, with final resting place in Rose Hill Cemetery. Friends may visit Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until service time at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Warrick Humane Society, Newburgh, IN. Condolences may be made online at www.AlexanderNewburghChapel.com.