Charles J. Pemberton

Charles J. "Charlie" Pemberton, 78, of Marshall died on Sunday, December 9, 2012, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. Charlie was born on February 24, 1934, in Marshall to Melvin and Margaret (Lybolt) Pemberton. He graduated from Marshall High School in 1952. After graduating, Charlie joined the US Army and was stationed in Germany for two years. After returning home he began working for the Eaton Corporation and retired after 32 years. His marriages to Shelia Sellers and Margaret Greene ended in divorce. On June 23, 1977, he married Johann K. "Joey" Sobolinski in Marshall. She preceded him in death on December 19, 2004. Charlie enjoyed building and restoring classic and antique cars. His favorite pastime was taking them to car shows and swap meets to show them off. He was often seen parading through Marshall on Memorial Day with his car full of grandchildren. Charlie was a member of the Marshall Moose Lodge 676 for over 50 years. Charlie loved traveling to Las Vegas and trying his luck at Black Jack and Poker. He is survived by his daughters, Nancy Pemberton of Marshall, Holly (Joel) Irish of Tekonsha, son John Pemberton of Lansing. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Cory Siefke, Tyler Rewa, Victoria Pemberton, Jacqueline Pemberton, Grant Irish, Kordell Irish, Julia Irish, and step-daughter Barb (Gary) Justice of Quincy. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, sons Jimmy Pemberton, Paul Pemberton, brother Melvin Pemberton, and sister Barbara Simmons. Visitation will take place at the Craig K. Kempf Funeral Home on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 from 2-8pm with family present to greet friends from 2-4pm and 6-8pm. Funeral services celebrating his life will take place on Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 1:30pm at the Craig K. Kempf Funeral Home with Mr. Melvin Pemberton officiating. Interment will follow at Lyon Lake Cemetery. Following the cemetery services the family will gather with friends at the Marshall Moose Lodge. Memorial Contributions are requested to the Marshall Moose Lodge #676. Assistance with memorials is available at the Kempf Funeral Home.