Charles A. Fanelli

Charles A. Fanelli obituary, Hawthorne, NY

Charles A. Fanelli

Charles Fanelli Obituary

Visit the Ballard-Durand Funeral & Cremation Services of Hawthorne website to view the full obituary.

Charles Fanelli (Chuck) was born to Florence (Green) and Anthony Fanelli on "Pearl Harbor Day" December 7th 1954. He grew up in North White Plains with his parents, grandparents, sisters, pets, and countless friends along the way. He was a very creative and talented Artist and excelled in the fine arts. He loved to sculpt, paint and study the great artists. Being he grew up in the Golden Age of Rock he had such a massive love for rock and roll music; He had an ever-existing knowledge of songs, artists, with some of his absolute favorite being The Beatles, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and so, so many more. Charles graduated from Valhalla High School in 1973 and attended Westchester Community College as an Art Major.

Charles was a Baseball lover all of his life. He knew everything a person could know about the sport, scoring, players, etc. His favorite team was the Yankees. He coached for the Kenisco Little League for 10 years, who won several trophies. He often recalled the enjoyment it brought him. Charles joined the Westchester County Department of Public Works in 1983 and was Westchester County's Automotive Parts Man who handled and maintained the Westchester Gov. fleet vehicles there for 36 years until he retired in 2020.

In 1990 Charles he met his wife Helen (Shuler) Fanelli at Maxl's German Ratskeller Restaurant in North White Plains where she was a singing waitress part time, who later became an Opera Singer with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus. The two hit it off immediately and got married two years later on November 25, 1992. They went on many road trips and made long lasting memories together. After ten years of marriage, on September 25th of 2002 Helen gave birth to their only child, Lily Rose Fanelli. Charles always loved and wanted children and often recounted this as the best day of his life.

Into his latter years, Charles love for baseball never left him and he joined many online leagues, never missed a game, and did all he could to engage in the sport. He found joy in many hobbies as he aged, such as collecting and caring for all types of Orchids- including Phalaenopsis, Cymbidiums, Vandas, Dendrobiums, Cattleyas etc, and you would often find him on his porch or in the yard tending to them when the weather was nice; He loved hot spring and summer days where he could spend as much time outdoors as possible, gardening, personal projects, simply just sitting on the porch, anything to be outside in the sun. He loved the quiet peacefulness of nature and going to the beach, spending many summers out at Montauk with Helen and Lily Rose.

He is survived by his wife, Helen Fanelli, and only daughter Lily Rose Fanelli. His brother in law Kevin Shuler and his four children. His older sister Gloria Jean Hagerman Fanelli, two younger sisters Nancy Fanelli and Gina Fanelli. His nieces and nephew, Lori Ann, Amanda, Sabrina, Mariah, Ejay; as well as many great and great-great nieces and nephews. Charles Fanelli left earth and gained his wings in the early morning of February 19th, 2023. He left behind a beautiful legacy and will never be forgotten.  Charles's Visitation will be from 2:00-5:00 pm and the Funeral & Prayer Service will be held from 5:00-6:00 pm.

"And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me. Shine until tomorrow. Let it be" - Let it Be by the Beatles, 1970.

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