Charles L. Caldwell

Charles L. Caldwell, 79, (Feb 1943 – Sept 19, 2022) was born in north Georgia to Lloyd and Berta Caldwell. He was the youngest of eight children. He didn’t finish high school, instead enlisting in the Army at age 17. A few years later, while stationed in South Korea, he met and married Sun Yun, and they had a daughter, Elizabeth. Back in the states, they had a son, Jonathan. Charles earned his GED and took college courses in the Army. When he retired, he continued his education and eventually received an accounting degree from Vincennes University.

During his period of military service, like all soldiers, he went where the Army sent him. It included tours of duty in South Korea, Vietnam, Germany, Thailand, and exotic Indianapolis, where he settled his family. In the service, he worked many administrative support roles, but ended his first career as an instructor. At his retirement ceremony, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, given for exemplary military service.

After retiring as a Sergeant First Class at the ripe old age of 37, Charles worked as a pay technician at Fort Harrison, as a supervisor for a security company, and had a short career as a big-rig truck driver.

Charles liked fishing, but didn’t do it often. Exercise was something he knew was a good idea, but he didn’t pursue it consistently, a trait he passed on to his children. His family was surprised to learn he was running marathons in Germany. He was there without them for two years and might have been bored into motivation.

In truth, Charles was a homebody. He was a prolific reader, and liked watching TV and napping. He enjoyed spending time with friends, but most of his social life was nurtured by Sun Yun. When she passed away, sadly, so did his society.

Charles had a third child. Chaser adored him, and he adored that dog. It broke his heart when Chaser died. While he never had the same bond with them, his gave pieces of his heart to a host of other dogs. He was even fond of a few cats, which probably surprised him.

It would be nice to share great things that Charles did, significant impacts he made on society or his community, but he was an introvert and shied away from displays of public involvement. In times of pain-filled revelation, he shared that he joined the military as much to escape life as to better it. He didn’t allow the racism he grew up seeing to follow him into adult life. He had friends of all races and ethnicities, and never exhibited hatred or disdain for anyone. In that respect, he made a significant impact on his family and everyone that he met, even if they would never understand why.

Perhaps Charles exemplified an “every man.” He donated to his church, but wasn’t a volunteer. He honored some of the rituals of Catholicism, but didn’t attend church regularly. He was a faithful Christian, but wasn’t religious. He valued his friends and family, but didn’t do the work to maintain connections. He stressed the importance of education, but wasn’t overly-involved in the process. But he taught his children integrity, honesty, and compassion, and encouraged them to do better than he did. He wasn’t abundantly supplied with money or patience, but his family never went without anything they needed, including him. He helped his children and his wife with their studies when he could. He tried, not always successfully, to teach his children things like how to ride a bike, play badminton, and fish. He taught them to play Monopoly almost as soon they earned an allowance. And he had a great sense of humor.

Charles had eclectic tastes in comedy. He appreciated comedians like George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Cheech and Chong. He watched shows like All in the Family, Sanford and Son, all 4 episodes of The Richard Pryor Show, Laugh-In, and M.A.S.H. When it came to movies, he liked Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and Burt Reynolds. Like his humor, his music appreciation was wide-ranging. His record collection consisted of artists like Ferrante & Teicher (pianists), Helen Reddy (easy listening), Joe Cocker (rock), Melanie (folk), Willie Nelson (country), and The Jacksons (pop-soul), but it wasn’t because he liked these artists – he just never returned the Selection of the Month card from Columbia House Record Club. He loved Tina Turner and saw her perform twice, perhaps the only person he ever paid to see. Charles didn’t keep his humor or music from his children, and they grew up watching and listening to everything. Though they didn’t always share his tastes, they learned to appreciate varied uses of language, especially by Carlin and Pryor. 

Through times of estrangement and strained affections which happens in most relationships, Sun Yun reminded her children, “He is a good man.” Charles was never rude or unkind to anyone. He was unfailingly polite even to those who weren’t. He didn’t hold a grudge and avoided conflict. He said Please, Thank you, Excuse me, and Go ahead of me. He handed money to people quietly and didn’t expect repayment. He always wanted to “do” for his family, including his siblings, but his means didn’t match the generosity of his heart. He regretted that he couldn’t do more for those he loved.

Charles was not perfect – no one is, despite after-life testimonies that imply otherwise. He wanted to be, strove to be, and was a good man. In his later years, he struggled with dementia, and while he lost pieces of himself, he never lost that goodness.

Until the end, Charles loved and was loved. He is deeply missed.

He is survived by his children; his sisters, Dorothy and Juanita; and many nieces, nephews, and greats.