Charles L. Pearce September 30, 1927 – March 13, 2015
Born in Tuscaloosa, AL on September 30, 1927 and lived a full and interesting 87 years until passing from this life on March 13, 2015.
Charles Pearce, a Navy veteran and former pilot, moved to Huntsville in 1952 to take the civil service position as Chief of Transportation for Redstone Arsenal. After one year he moved back to Tuscaloosa and started his air traffic control training. He transferred to Maryville, TN in 1956 as a fully trained air traffic controller, transferring to Huntsville in 1957 to work at the Huntsville aiport. He built his first home in southeast Huntsville in 1959 and in 1960 he opened Pearce’s Coin-Op Laundry on Bob Wallace Ave. In 1965, he built two full-service laundry dry cleaners called Kwik Klean, one in Huntsville and one in Decatur while still working for the FAA. After his retirement from FAA in 1967, Charles became a developer and home builder having built many homes in the Huntsville and Madison area from the early 1970s until he retired in 2000.
Charles loved his family, his church, music, aviation and wood-working. He was known for his great sense of humor and always had a memorable saying about everything. His favorite past-time was meeting his dear and treasured friends at Gibson’s breakfast club every weekday morning.
Charles Pearce had three siblings and five half siblings. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary Lucy Moore and Abner Parker Pearce; brother, J.C. Pearce of Huntsville; two sisters, Mary Vivian Smith (Olon) of Tuscaloosa, and Betty Ann Lowery of Huntsville; and two sons, Jim (Darlene) Pearce of Hartselle, and Ron Pearce of Prattville.
A loving and devoted father of a blended family, Charles is survived by his wife of 40 years Jolyn Wylie Pearce; his children, Steve Pearce (Ruth) of Birmingham, Robert Pearce and Jeff Pearce of Huntsville, Mike Johnson (Gwen) of Athens, Kim Rehage (chuck) of Madison and Scott Johnson (Maria) of Downey, California; 19 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; his niece, Lysa Parker of Madison; nephew, Mickey Pearce of Huntsville.
He was a member of Trinity Baptist Church in Madison. Services were held on Sunday, March 15 at the Trinity Baptist Church, 1088 Hughes Road in Madison. Visitation began at 2 p.m. and the memorial service was held at 3 p.m. Charles was interred at Faith Memorial Park on Madison Blvd. in Madison.
In lieu of flowers the family has asked that donations be made to St. Jude Hospital or to Good Samaritan Hospice.
