CHARLES ROY CASTNER, JR.

Passed away at the age of 99 after a long illness at his home in Kensington, MD. “Charlie”, as he was known to family and friends, was the beloved husband of the late Alice Lydia (Nemetz) Castner, devoted father to his children Deborah (Fred) Ambrose, Cheryl Castner (Warren La Heist) and Douglas (Sue) Castner, and proud “Poppy” to his five grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. He also leaves behind a sister, Mickey Jernigan of Ramona, CA, and sister-in-law, Ruth Castner, of Roseville, CA as well as several nieces and nephews.

Born and raised in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, Charlie attended local schools. After graduating from high school but lacking a sense of direction, he decided to meet with a military recruiter and shortly after decided to enlist in the United States Navy. He was sent to Navy flight training at Colgate University to learn navigation and was soon after enrolled in the Navy Air Training Program in Pensacola, FL. Having never swum before, he remembered having to jump off the high dive and swim across the pool carrying a heavy gun on his shoulders. After two attempts, he recalled “I drank a lot of water, but I passed.” Charlie served in the Navy from February, 1943 to September, 1945 as a pilot and also took classes in making and reading maps. Having lived through the Great Depression and served in World War II, he was a member of the “Greatest Generation” and a proud American.

Taking advantage of the GI Bill after the war, Charlie was accepted at Syracuse University where he majored in Geography, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in June, 1949. For over 30 years, he continued to protect our national security while serving as an intelligence analyst for the Department of Defense, where he used his military and college training to analyze maps.

During his time at Syracuse, he also met and fell in love with Alice Nemetz, whom he married a week before graduating.

Alice and Charlie were married for nearly 71 years. During that time, they enjoyed square dancing, ballroom dancing, bowling, traveling with other couples and raising their family including summers at Seneca Lake, NY, camping all over the United States, leading a Boy Scout troop, running a three-legged race while holding a potato balanced on a spoon with the Girl Scouts, teaching his children how to ride their bikes (“I never let you fall, did I?”), being a “Mitscher Court Dad", where “It took a village. . .”, serving as a deacon and on the Session as a ruling elder of Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church in Kensington, MD and so much more. In his later years, his grand and great-grandchildren were the “icing on the cake”. “Charlie”, “Dad”, “Daddy”, and “Poppy”, whomever he was to you, you always knew you were loved unconditionally.

Charlie’s family wishes to express their sincere gratitude and love to those organizations and individuals who provided him and us with support and care during his final years including: Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church (Pastors Adele and Kris), Kelly Redbord, M.D., IKON Health (Jessica, Amy, Yosh), our Mitscher Court family and Medical Consulting & Management (Steve, Laurie, Leah and most importantly our father’s primary aides, who we will hold in our hearts and be forever indebted to including Sam, Gillian, Wilfred and “Kobi”).

Visitation at Salem United Methodist Church, 12 High Street, Brookeville, MD, Saturday, September 7, 2024, from 10 to 11 a.m., followed by a Funeral Service at 11 a.m. Interment Parklawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

To share a memory or send a condolence gift, please visit the Official Obituary of Charles Roy Castner, Jr. hosted by CFH Online.