DEAN HOUK

HOUK Dean Charles Charlie Houk, Jr., attorney and resident of Atlanta, GA and Amelia Island, FL, died at his home on Amelia Island on Monday. He was 76. He was a devoted father and husband, attorney and civic leader. The cause of death was an apparent heart attack. Born in Chicago, IL on March 29, 1937 to Dean Charles Houk, an estate attorney, and Mary Frank Longmire Houk, Charlie was the oldest of two children. The family returned to St. Petersburg, FL from Chicago, and Charlie attended both elementary and high school in St. Petersburg. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida and graduated from the University of Florida law school where he was an editor of the law review. After graduation, Charlie served in the U.S. Army. He was a Captain in the JAG Corps and was stationed on Governor's Island in New York City. After completing his service in 1964, Charlie moved to Atlanta where he joined Sears Roebuck and Co. as a corporate attorney. In Atlanta, he also met Dorothy Ann Alexander whom he married in 1967. In 1987, Charlie joined the law firm Altman, Kritzer & Levick, later Hartman, Simons & Wood, as a commercial real estate attorney and from which he retired in 2005. In 2012, Charlie celebrated his 50th year as a member of the Florida Bar Association. Over the years, Charlie was active both in civic life and in his local churches, First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta where he was a member for 45 years and Amelia Plantation Chapel which he joined in 2005. Charlie served on the board and as the president of the Atlanta Mental Health Association, and he served as president of the Atlanta Corporate Counsel Association. Charlie volunteered in a number of capacities at Atlanta's First Presbyterian Church where he taught Sunday school, sat on various committees and served as an elder. In his retirement, he mentored a young man as a volunteer with Florida's Take Stock in Children program. In 2013, he conceived of and founded Rx Haiti, a ministry that gathers and delivers unused prescription and non-prescription medication from his church in the U.S. to medical clinics in Haiti. Kind and generous, Charlie was the consummate family man. He was never happier than when he was surrounded by a horde of children. His patience was legendary which came in handy as he taught all of the members of his daughters' Girl Scout troops to water ski. Charlie was an avid Florida Gators and Atlanta Braves fan. Charlie is survived by his wife Dorothy Alexander Houk; two daughters Mary Bentley Houk of Brooklyn, NY and Elizabeth Houk Sedgwick of Atlanta, GA; son-in-law Matthew James Sedgwick; grandsons Luke Matthew Sedgwick and Andrew Charles Sedgwick; sister Mary Ann Saylor; and nephews John Earl Saylor, Jr. and Michael Dean Saylor and their families. A celebration of his life will be held at the Amelia Plantation Chapel on Saturday, May 11 at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Amelia Plantation Chapel designated for the Upper Room Project. Amelia Island Chapel is located at 36 Bowman Road, Amelia Island, FL 32034. Please share his life story at www.oxleyheard.com OXLEY - HEARD FUNERAL DIRECTORS Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com