Obituary published on Legacy.com by Peeples Funeral Home and Crematory - Chatsworth on Dec. 15, 2023.
Nelda Ann Charles was born June 3, 1954. She was preceded in death by her parents, John Mitchell Charles and Doris Gertrude Pierce Charles of
Chatsworth, Georgia, her grandparents, Hershel Samuel Charles and Alice Charles of Dalton, Georgia and Ellis Pierce and Mattie Pierce of
Chatsworth, Georgia, her brother, Lanny Michael Charles, and her great nephew, Jason Michael Baine, of
Calhoun, Georgia. Nelda was 69 at the time of her tragic death, on December 12, 2023. She had lived her entire life in
Chatsworth, Georgia. She graduated from Murray County High School in Chatsworth in 1973, and pursuing her love for art, she took several art classes at Dalton Junior College while working as a clerk at her mother's Clothing Store, the "His and Her Shop" in Dalton. Her work in the Carpet Industry included work at her brother Lanny's carpet mill, Regal Carpet and Rug Company, and Beaulieu Carpets, where she worked until she retired in 2021. After that she worked part time at Crafffiti in Dalton, Georgia as a packager of their products. She worked there in a wonderful Christian environment surrounded with other believers for one year and believed that God had led her to that job, and talking with the supervisor there, all of her coworkers felt the same way.
Nelda was an active member of Central Community Church (Chatsworth Church of God of Prophecy) as a Sunday School teacher and Children's Church worker for nearly thirty years. Although she had no children of her own, and had never married, she was loved and respected by her Sunday School children, as if she was their mother. Nelda was known for her kindness and sweet, gentle spirit. She was an encourager and her love language was gift giving. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends, especially her best friend, Lisa Ray Forrester, with whom she spent countless hours, eating out at Red Lobster, or Longhorn Steakhouse, shopping, going on drives or to the Pumpkin Patch in Dawsonville, and checking on each other regularly. She seldom, if ever, forgot a birthday or anniversary, most always accompanied by greeting cards or letters. She loved crafts, making wreaths, painting, traveling, playing board games, decorating her home, inside and out for every holiday, and watching movies, especially Hallmark movies. She delighted in spending time with her nieces and nephews. Her first cousin, Dianne Minter wrote about her in a recent Face Book post, "I wonder how many realize how talented Nelda was. Her drawings were lovely. She had a clear soprano voice, and always hit the highest notes in our Christmas cantatas. She had a heart as big as the whole outdoors. Nothing made her happier than to give gifts."
She is survived by her twin brothers, John Anthony (Tony) Charles and his wife, Gwyn Morcom Charles of
West Hartford, Connecticut, and Ellis Timothy (Tim) Charles and his wife, Billie Rae Donnafield Charles of
Sheridan, Wyoming, and their son, Beau Jae Charles, and his wife Cassandra Clark Charles, their children, Hudson Jon, Rueger Jae, and Ruby Dawn Charles, also from
Sheridan, Wyoming. Among immediate family members, surviving is her Sister-in-law, Dorothy Calfee Charles, widow of her deceased brother, Lanny Michael Charles of
Calhoun, Georgia, and their two daughters, Gayla June Charles Rucker, and her husband Sean Bernard Rucker of
Calhoun, Georgia. Also surviving is Dorthy and Lanny's youngest daughter, Lisa Susanne Charles Coyle Wells, and her daughter Susanne (Susie) Grace Coyle, of
Tunnel Hill, Georgia, and her son, Jonathan Mitchell Baine and his son, Hunter Michael Baine, all from Calhoun. She is also survived by a host of cousins, second cousins, and their children, all from North Georgia and
Selma, Alabama.
In leiu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Mascular Degeneration Foundation. AMDF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, publicly supported organization. Contributions are tax deductable to the extent allowed by law.
A memorial service and celebration of life are planned after the holidays, on Saturday, January 13, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., at the Central Community Church, in Chatsworth, with Pastor Edwin Puckett officiating.
Peeples Funeral Home & Crematory of Chatsworth has been entrusted with the arrangements for Nelda Ann Charles.