Charles Teague

1935 - 2015

Charles (Charlie) Calvin Teague, 80, passed away on June 10, 2015, after a considerable struggle with dementia. Born in Eagan, TN, in 1935, Charlie was the youngest of eight children of Marshall and Lavannah Teague. His mother died shortly after his birth and his father struggled to raise the youngest children during the Depression, and so Charlie was placed as a young child and grew up in the Holston United Methodist Home For Children in Greeneville, TN. And grow he did to 6-foot, 3-inches tall with a head of bright red hair, freckles and bright blue eyes. Charlie was a memorable boy in the home, frequently getting into trouble for climbing cherry trees and going along with the older boys' plans for mischief, but poor Charlie was always the one disciplined. He attended Hiwassee College in Madisonville, TN, graduated with a degree in botany, and then joined the U.S. Air Force in 1955. He served for four years as a dental specialist, mostly at Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, AK, and was honorably discharged with the rank of staff sergeant. Charlie worked as a grounds and facility supervisor for the majority of his career at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and then at St. Paul's School in Brooklandville, MD, and the University of Maryland. He was a true lover of music, especially bluegrass, and he played the harmonica and had an excellent whistle. His fair skin usually found him in a wide-brimmed hat and perhaps contributed to his extensive knowledge of large shade and old growth trees. He admired nature and the wilderness and was never one to be tied to material possessions. A generous man, he would often give to others despite his own needs and was always tending to stray animals. He was ready to tell a good joke and he was not influenced by the status quo. Charlie was a Mason and enjoyed playing rugby and even traveled to England to play sevens matches with his close friends and their local Carolina club. He was a dreamer who listened to interesting radio programs all night, worked difficult cross-words puzzles quickly, crafted beautiful wood furniture, and saw beauty in the most overlooked places. Fittingly, his final wish was to be buried in a Conservation Burial requiring the use of virtually no additional resources or procedures in order that he may return to the earth naturally and with minimal environmental impact. He is predeceased by his former wife Kathryn Crook of Chapel Hill and most of his siblings, including his only brother J.B. Teague who served honorably with the Flying Tigers, and many beloved pets. He is survived by his daughter and most loved creation of his life, Mary Edna Reese, and her husband Evan of Virginia Beach, VA. He will be sorely missed by his close friends who loved him dearly and whom he considered his true family.