Mr. Charles F. Beatty Jr.

Charles F. Beatty, Jr., of Wilmington, DE, known to friends and family as Jiggs, passed away peacefully Sunday, July 15, 2012 surrounded by his loving family. He was 86. He was the son of the late Charles F. Beatty and Mary T. Beatty of Wayne, Pennsylvania. Jiggs was gregarious throughout his life, which he lived to the fullest with humor, passion, and a genuine love of people. His character, leadership and love of family inspired those who knew him. Jiggs attended Radnor High School and at age 18 enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He landed with the 3rd Bn., HDQTS Co., 29th Marines of the Sixth Marine Division (the Striking Sixth) on Guadalcanal. He left Guadalcanal for Okinawa, making the Easter Sunday 1945 landing as the radioman assigned to Captain William P. Tomasello. Jiggs survived Sugar Loaf Hill and the infamous "80 days" in Okinawa. In 2007 he shared his story during the WHYY Ken Burns The War presentation as part of Stories from Viewers. After the war he attended Penn State University, playing four years as center on the 1947 football team that played in the Cotton Bowl, 1948. While at Penn State he was also a member of the Lion's Paw and Phi Beta Kappa fraternity. Jiggs returned to Delaware to work with his father, managing the drywall portion of the family business, Charles F. Beatty, Inc. Upon his father's retirement, he expanded the company's focus to include commercial properties and exterior curtain walls, taking great pride in being a part of Wilmington's new skyline. An avid sailor, he and his family were a familiar sight on the Chesapeake Bay aboard their sailboat, Sweet Chariot, participating in races with the Columbia Sailing Association. He later converted the vessel to a cruising boat, and enjoyed many years exploring the Chesapeake and waterways beyond with his wife, Win. Music was another of his enthusiasms. A member of the Chorus of the Brandywine (S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A.), he sang with them and different quartets for 40 years. He was very involved with their annual Christmas Show that included different local high schools. Our family wishes to extend our deep gratitude to the care providers and staffs of Griswald Special Care, Foulk Manor South and Delaware Hospice. With their help Jiggs maintained, not only his great sense of humor, but his character and personal dignity. He was and always will be our hero in every sense of that word. He is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Winifred Skeen Beatty; children: Charles F. Beatty, III of Landenberg, Pa; Kristine Fowler of Newark; Jenifer MacFarland of Kennett Square, Pa; Suzanne Oliva of Santa Fe, N.M.; Sharon Trumbull-Lakin of Ellicott City, Md.; Jane Stevens of Elkton, Md.; Jennifer Dutton of Wilmington; John Beatty of Aynor, S.C.; Matthew Beatty of Hockessin; Rosalyn Mayfield of Townsend, De; and James Bridgewater of Warminster, Pa and their spouses; his brother, Jack Beatty of Newark. He is also survived by 27 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A Celebration of Life for Jiggs will be held at 1:00 PM on Monday, July 30, 2012 at CHANDLER FUNERAL HOME, 2506 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803. Friends and family are invited to visit with the family beginning at 12:00 PM. Interment will be private and at the convenience of the family in Delaware Veteran's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family hopes you will consider donations to the Delaware Hospice, 3515 Silverside Rd., Wilmington, DE 19810 or the Alzheimer's Association, Delaware Chapter, 240 N. James St., Suite 100A, Newport, DE 19804.