Charles Wickers

Charles Wickers

Retired Army Colonel Charles (Chuck) Wickers, 88, a resident of Annapolis since 1971, died peace fully April 21, 2010 after a lengthy illness.

He was born and raised in Virginia and graduated from Herndon High School in 1939.

He entered the Army in 1945, and after Basic Training was assigned to the European Theater. In 1946, while serving as a First Sergeant in the 771st Tank Battalion in Germany, he received a Direct Field Commission as a Second Lieutenant. He liked the Army and decided to make it a career. He served for thirty years.

He held numerous Command and Staff Positions including Professor of Military Science at the Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Va., G 1 of the General Staff of the Antilles Command in Puerto Rico, Commander of the Fifth Brigade at Fort Knox, Ky., Defense Attache at the American embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia, Secretary of the General Staff of the U.S. Second Army, and Inspector General of the U.S. First Army, headquartered at Fort Meade.

He held a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland, and graduated from the Armor school, Army command and General Staff College, Air War College, Defense Language Institute and the Defense Intelligence School. His overseas assignments included Germany, Korea, Japan, Puerto Rico, Somalia and Vietnam.

In addition to numerous United States decorations and awards, he received awards from the United Nations, and the governments of Cambodia and South Vietnam.

Upon retirement in 1975, he entered the field of real estate and became the owner/broker of Town Center Real Estate Company of Annapolis, which he sold in 1986.

He was a Thirty Second Degree Mason and a member of Boumi Shrine Temple of Baltimore.

He was preceded in death by his former wife, Susanne Demuth, who died in 1993.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia DeFrancesco Wickers of Annapolis; two sons, LTC (ret) Randolph Wickers of Gig Harbor, Wash., and Francis (Mike) Wickers of Hollywood, Md.; one daughter, Michele DeFrancesco of Arnold; three sisters; one brother; seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and one godchild.

Visitation will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday at the Hardesty Funeral Home, P.A. 12 Ridgely Avenue, Annapolis.

A funeral service with full military honors will be held at 9 a.m. August 5 at the Ft. Myer Chapel. Please arrive at the chapel at 8:30 a.m. arriving through Ft. Myer. Directions may be found at http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/ Interment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Chesapeake, 445 Defense Highway, Annapolis, MD 21401.

Online condolences may be made at www.hardestyfuneralhome.com