Charlie Oliver "Charles" Sealy Jr.

Charlie "Charles" Oliver Sealy, Jr., age 76, passed away peacefully at home on April 11, 2025.
A lifelong resident of Tuscaloosa, Charles attended Tuscaloosa High School and graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in finance. He went on to build a successful career in real estate, dedicating his life to the growth and leadership of Sealy Management Company, the family business he helped flourish over the decades.
To those who knew him best, Charles lived out the spirit of Philippians 2:3–4 -"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." He led with quiet strength, generosity, and a servant's heart, consistently putting the needs of others before his own.
Charles is survived by his devoted wife and best friend, Debra, and his three loving children: Charlie Sealy III (Sasha) of Huntsville, Christina Sealy of Tuscaloosa, and Maria Sealy of Birmingham. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Virginia Sealy.
A private service was held on April 15 to honor his life and legacy.
The following essay offers a more personal reflection on Charles' life, his passions, and the deep impact he had on those around him.
Charles Sealy Jr. was a loving husband and companion for 30 years, and he was the best father anyone could ask for. He did an amazing job raising his children. He loved his children dearly and put them first, always doing things for them instead of himself. He was a great teacher to his children. He passed along knowledge, wisdom, and humility, but most importantly he taught them deeply the difference in right and wrong and how to be good people.
Charles often taught his children, friends, and employees through telling stories. He loved to tell stories. He would talk about things from the past- people and events, and these stories would often make you laugh and teach you something at the same time. But just know that if you sit down for a story with Charles, you are going to be busy for at least the next 30 minutes.
Each year that Christina and Charles drove down to the beach together, Charles had a story for every town that they passed. Some of them would be memories of times with friends long ago, some would be pointing out houses along the road that he had built and the work involved in those projects, and some would just be funny sayings that involved the names of the towns passed. As he shared these stories, it was clear what an amazing life he had lived. Even though everyone had heard the stories several times and could anticipate their retelling, the joy with which he told those stories made them just as interesting and special as the first time.
He loved to teach and love to share the things he loved with the people he loved. He taught his children how to ride horses, how to fish, how to analyze an investment, and how to be a good person. He even had Maria hooking crickets in her high heels.
As a father, Charles was selfless. When playing games of "horse" on the basketball court, he never won a game against his child. When racing in the swimming pool, the possible awards were the gold medal, silver medal, and scrap medal. The child always won the gold, and he always won the scrap medal. He would attend and participate mightily in things like Camp Horne, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, and his girls' sporting events. He devoted his life to making sure his family was safe, comfortable, and cared for.
Charles would sometimes do things that surprised you. As his son Charlie was going off to college, he asked Charlie to meet him at a coffee shop. Charlie had seen Charles drink coffee all his life, but had never seen him go to a coffee shop. Charles wasn't the coffee shop kind of guy. But here again, he would do things that surprised you. Charlie had a great visit with his father at this coffee shop, and they both enjoyed the excitement of Charlie about to go off to college. But at the end of the visit, it was apparent that a deep striking sadness shifted over Charles as his son was about to go off. Moments like this showed you how much he cared.
Charles was a hard worker, and his work produced great results. He was truly a big picture thinker, but he also would step in and do the things others considered small or someone else's job other than that of the boss. These were things like laying sod, watering grass, or digging trenches to keep water away from foundations. Charles was excellent with numbers and innately smart, even if he was doing the calculations on his iPhone 4 calculator. He was loyal to the people that worked with him and for him. He used many of the same subcontractors time and time again, and often these were based on a handshake deal. His word was his bond, and a handshake meant the same as anything in writing could ever mean. Charles loved to work with his friends, whether they were carpenters, excavators, bankers, or lawyers. His loyalty was exemplified to this very day. On the last project Charles worked on, he told Charlie that he wanted to do the deal with his friend Eddie Norris. Charlie knew that this meant not to get prices, it meant do the deal with Eddie, no questions.
Charles' leadership produced incredible results. The Sealy companies owned approximately 1,500 apartments when he took the reins. During his time of leadership, he focused on growth and moving forward through building and buying properties, reaching the number of 9,700 apartments. Charles always seemed to like to build things and watch them grow, whether it was real estate, his children, or his enjoyment of planting trees at the farm.
Charles was a great friend. He didn't try to be friends with everyone in town like many in his position would have. Rather, he had close friends, and he loved them.
Charles enjoyed bird hunting, especially quail hunting, and he spent much time with Al Cabaniss traversing distances and enjoying that time. He loved dogs, horses, and animals- another indication of his big heart. He even took in an abandoned fawn, caring for it like his own children - bottle feeding it for an entire year before releasing it back into the wild. Charles loved duck hunting in Fosters. He loved horseback riding and the longs rides that ended at the Faundsdale Bar & Grill with a group of friends and storytellers. He liked simple things like crappie fishing on the creek in Fosters, watching Alabama football games with Christina, loving the moments witnessing Maria be the lively entertainer of the family, and of course, his recliner.
Charles Sealy Jr. was a great father, husband, friend, and a great man. His love and teachings have been passed on to others. He built a legacy through work, but most importantly friends and family. A man with a caring, loving, huge heart, he will be missed but always loved and celebrated.