Charles Allen Hale Jr

Charles Allen Hale, Jr. was born on March 3, 1930 at Hales Bottom, Virginia to Charles and Donia Hale. Charles and his two sisters, Opal Mims and Stella Moore, lived on the family dairy farm until Charles was about nine years old. At that time, the family moved to Bluefield, Virginia.

Charles was an avid basketball player in high school and always enjoyed sports. He began working at the Dr. Pepper Bottling Company in Bluefield while in high school and continued working there after graduation in 1948 until he was drafted by the U. S. Army.

Charles was assigned to an Engineer battalion near Panmunjom during the Korean War. He rose quickly through the ranks and was a Sergeant First Class when he returned home after one and a half years in Korea. After returning to the United States, Charles worked as an usher at a theater while attending McLains Business College in Bluefield, West Virginia. He then worked for the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) in Bluefield and Danville, Virginia. He desired to return to Bluefield and was able to secure a job in the accounting department at the U. S. Steel coal mine in Gary, West Virginia. Charles was able to take early retirement at age 55 after working for U. S. Steel for 29 years and 11 months.

However, Charles didn’t quit working after he left U. S. Steel. Five years before retiring, Charles and Nancy purchased a Peanut Shack franchise which they operated at the Mercer Mall in Bluefield. They operated the Peanut Shack for ten years before selling to enjoy full time retirement.

Charles married Nancy Olinger on February 19, 1955. They have two daughters, Linda Hale Gillespie (Gary) and Kathy Hale Anderson (Richard). Five grandchildren and their spouses Joshua Gillespie (Brittany), Kathryn Gillespie Henshaw (Riker), David Gillespie (Genevieve), Michael Anderson (Bianca), and Meredith Anderson. Seven great grandchildren (Hadley, Luca, Harper, Landry, Asher, Miriam, and Samantha).

Charles loved his family deeply and had great faith. He was a member of College Avenue Baptist Church in Bluefield, West Virginia for 48 years. He was the youngest ordained deacon, an usher, a member of the finance committee, and helped with the youth group. He and Nancy moved to Vero Beach, Florida in 2004 where they were members of First Baptist Church, Vero Beach.

While there, he worked with a homeless shelter named The Source, enjoyed singing solos, and was part of the Nifty 50s group. After moving to Tucson, they became members of Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene. They immediately became involved in a small group and he made many friends. Charles had a great wit and was always smiling.

Charles passed away peacefully at home with family by his side on February 2, 2024.