Charles E. "Chuck" Canterbury

Known by some as “Chuck,” by others as “Charlie,” and still others as “Sarge,” Charles Edward Canterbury of Mount Hope died on January 9, 2014, at the Bowers Hospice House. He was 86 years old, and had fallen three weeks earlier, passing away from the resultant head injury. Born in Page, W.Va., on August 23, 1927, Chuck lived fully, vividly, vibrantly, colorfully, and well. His was an adventurous life. He joined the Navy when he was underage because he wanted to serve his country in World War II, seeing some limited action in the Pacific before he was found out as too young to serve and sent home. He later served in the Army for some twenty years, seeing action in Korea where he was wounded and received a Purple Heart. He was sent to the Pacific again in the early 1960s after having been deployed to Nevada in the late 1950s as part of the hydrogen bomb testing corps. Between those stints, he worked as a regular Army enlisted man with the Beckley office of the Army Reserve. He later was a recruiter in Welch where he set records and won numerous awards for the numbers of people he successfully enlisted into the service. It is hard to find anyone in McDowell County who doesn’t have a relative who served in the Army as a result of Sarge’s recruiting efforts. After retirement from the military, Chuck initially worked with Huey Perry and Jeff Monroe with the Buffalo Housing project to help people relocate who were ruined in the Buffalo Creek disaster. Later, he operated TV Lanes, the Top Hat Drive-In, and Chuck’s Pawn Shop, all in the Oak Hill area. An avid bowler, he enjoyed teaching kids to bowl about as much as he enjoyed bowling itself. Chuck was a member and former member of a number of organizations. In the 1960s, he served as president of the Mount Hope Lions Club and loved coaching the little league baseball teams in town. He never missed a mighty, mighty Mustangs football game during those years. He also joined the Mount Hope Presbyterian Church in 1958, and remained a member until his death. During his time in Welch, he volunteered as a junior high and high school football referee and was a member of the Welch Lions Club. He was a member of the Beckley Moose Lodge No. 1606, the American Legion Post 149 in Fayetteville, VFW Post 4469 in Beckley and the Disabled American Veterans. Chuck loved video poker and was a regular at the Cold Spot in Glen Jean where someone else will now have to take his lucky seat. Chuck is survived by his wife of 36 years, Barbara “Bobbie” Thomas Canterbury; his son Steven Canterbury and wife Nancy; his granddaughter Rachel Rogier; his brothers Norton and Cecil Canterbury and their wives, Mary and Betty; his sister Patsy Tatum; numerous nephews and nieces including Norton Lee Canterbury, Dale Canterbury, Bill and Jenelle Canterbury, Robin Thomas DiBartolomeo, and Ronald Bowyer; and his former neighbor and good friend Scott Johnson. He was predeceased by his son Kevin Canterbury, his parents William and Reba Dooley Canterbury, his brother William Hal Canterbury, and his sister Cora Ellen “Corky” Richmond. Chuck was an avid WVU fan, so it’s no surprise that he donated his body to the WVU Medical School. At his request, there will be no service. All who knew him are simply and generously requested to remember him as he lived -- larger than life.