Lt. Col. Charles A. Watterson USAF (Ret.)

LT. COL. CHARLES A.
WATTERSON, 96
USAF (RET)
01/01/1924 - 04/17/2020

WINTER HAVEN - Charles 'Chuck' Watterson passed away peacefully at home on April 17, 2020, surrounded by his loving family. Charles was born in Zolfo Springs, FL where his family owned a timber business which they lost during the Great Depression. The family eventually moved to a farm in Live Oak, FL where Charles grew up with his three siblings.
Aviation fascinated Charles from a young age. As a boy, he made his own a balsa-like wood from tree roots so he could build model airplanes. Soon after graduating in 1942 with honors from Suwanee High School, he joined the Army Air Corps and qualified as a bomber pilot. He was attached to the 15th Air Force 99th Bomb Group stationed in Foggia, Italy during World War II.
Before leaving for overseas duty, Charles was sent to Boston for a radar training program. It was there that he met the love of his life, Pauline (Polly) Ruhl. They married shortly after the war in 1945 and remained life-long companions until her death in 2017.
On his 21st birthday, Charles flew his first bombing mission over Germany in a B-17 Flying Fortress. He subsequently completed 17 missions experiencing many harrowing situations of which he never spoke until later in life. He never lost his love of flying; earning his private pilot license and keeping current with aviation news and technology well into his 90s. His favorite poem was High Flight by WWII pilot John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Charles was a University of Florida graduate and businessman. He could be described as Disciplined, Diligent, Dedicated, and Devoted. His grandson, Adam, will always remember him as 'a kind voice of reason and resolve - a source of inspiration to maintain self-discipline and trust in hard work.'
Charles-or 'Chuck'-was the ultimate family man. He is survived by his adoring children: Charles A. Watterson, Jr. (Janice) of Soddy Daisy, TN. and Susan W. Lee of Winter Haven; grandchildren: Heather Lee-Blackwell (Ronnie) of Winter Haven, Robert Charles Lee, Esq. of Tallahassee, Charles A. Watterson (Katie) of Fairhope, AL, and Adam Watterson, M.D. (Carrie) of Spanish Fort, AL. He was also the proud great-grandfather of five. He also leaves behind a sister, Margaret Howard (John) in Lake City, FL, and brother George Watterson (Carole) in Tallahassee, FL. The youngest sibling, Frances Mott (Live Oak, FL) passed away in 2009.
Interment for both Charles and Pauline will be at Barrancas Military Cemetery in Pensacola, FL. No local service is planned, but donations to one of his favorite organizations are welcomed. These include: Salvation Army, Disabled American Veterans, and In Touch Ministries (Atlanta, GA).