Charles A. Price, Sr. (Hartville) 's Obituary
Charles Alexander Price, Sr., was born May 8, 1937 to Orville Leroy Price and Elizabeth Mae (Talbert) Price, the oldest of the 8 children born to this union.
As a child, Charles attended Pitts Chapel Methodist Church in Springfield, MO and accepted Christ at an early age. Growing up, he looked forward to Friday nights as that was when he and his Dad spent many of evenings fishing on Missouri riverbanks. As a youth he was very industrious and held many odd jobs that included mowing lawns, shoveling snow, delivering groceries to working at the radio station with his Dad.
During high school he met and fell in love with the love of his life Shirley Marie Thompkins. Upon graduation from Lincoln High school in May 1955, Charles enlisted in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and attended boot camp in MCRD in San Diego, CA. On a visit home before heading to his next duty station, Charles proposed to Shirley and they were married on February 22, 1959 at Pitts Chapel Methodist Church in Springfield, MO. Charles’ career in the USMC included two tours of duty in Vietnam, Okinawa, Japan and stateside orders to North Carolina (Cherry Point and Camp Lejeune), and California (El Toro, Camp Pendleton, and Twenty-Nine Palms). The couple decided to settle down in Santa Ana, CA, where they raised their 4 children Stephen, Karen, Letitia and Charles Jr. Most weekends you could find them either gathering with family or at nearby lake or on the ocean.
After proudly serving his country in the military for over 20 years, Charles retired from the USMC. He then attended college where he earned a degree and teaching credential. He worked for Santa Ana Community College as an Instructor in their Automotive Repair & Technicians department. After working many years in that capacity, he moved on to become the Manager of the Vehicle Maintenance Yard for the City of Anaheim. In 1990, at 53 years of age, he retired again and this time he and Shirley relocated to the place they both loved – Hartville, MO. This is when they began to raise cattle and get back to doing the things they truly loved most, spending time with each other, family and pursuing other interests. Although not as avid a fisherman as Shirley, most times you would find Charles on snake patrol, while she fished. He loved being on the river banks with those he loved – it was a pleasure he and Shirley both enjoyed. Charles had many interests, talents, loved cars and working on cars, and could fix just about anything. He loved telling his stories and could find the humor in most any situation. Charles was a humble man with extraordinary wisdom and strength, though not perfect, he lived out his faith by example.
Charles was preceded in death by, his wife of 57 years, Shirley Marie Thompkins Price, his son Stephen, his parents Orville and Elizabeth Price, his brothers: Leonard, Matthew, Sterling, Richard, Orville Jr., and his sister Nellie Henry. He leaves to cherish his loving memory his daughters Karen (Kirk) Sykes, Letitia (Alfred) Morris, his son Charles Jr., his grandchildren: Jasmine, Nicholas, Alecia, Byron, Brandon (Heather), Stephanie (Ulysses), Krystine (Johnny) and Celeste; great grandchildren Clarissa, Melody, Jordan, Deja, Eli, Norah, Julian, Mya, Lauryn, and Wyatt, his brother Joseph and a host of family and friends.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 27 at 11 a.m. at the Holman-Howe Funeral Home of Hartville. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Interment will be at the Thompkins Cemetery immediately following the service.
Memorials may be made to the Thompkins Cemetery through the Holman-Howe Funeral Home P.O. Box 236, Hartville, Missouri 65667
Arrangements are under the direction of Holman-Howe Funeral Home Hartville, Mo.
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