Mr. Charles Allen ‘Charlie’ Firth, age 83, of Vevay Indiana, passed away on Saturday, September 3, 2022 at his residence. Charlie was born on September 29, 1938 in Madison, Indiana to James Henry and Helen Mae (Kenworthy) Firth. The 3-pound, premature infant was brought home and placed in a basket by the fireplace to be nursed to good health. He eventually grew to be the tallest of all six Firth brothers. Charlie spent his childhood roaming the streets, hills and creeks of Brooksburg, making mischief with a band of local boys. He, Larry Jaynes, the Seel brothers, along with many others, hunted, fished, stole the occasional chicken, hitchhiked to Madison, and took off on a couple of epic road trips across the country. These shenanigans likely produced many a headache and a gray hair or two for Mr. and Mrs. Firth, Bud and Bunny Seel and the other adults. Legend has it, one of Charlie’s favorite pastimes was riding his bike through the family home – immediately after his sister-in-law, Betty had finished scrubbing all the floors. But he was a cute kid, and this likely got him out of a lot of trouble. Charlie was inducted into the United States Army on October 11, 1963 in Louisville, Kentucky and was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. An armor crewman, he received several metals for marksmanship. He was honorably discharged on October 10, 1967. He was a lifelong member of the Vevay American Legion Post #185 and the Vevay VFW Post #5396. In 2022, Charlie celebrated 62 years with International Operating Engineer Union Local #181. He often had to drive long distances for jobs and had a hand in the construction of many roads in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. In 1961, Charlie and his friends drove to Vevay to catch a show at the Alps Auto Drive-in. That night he met Judith McAlister and the rest was history. Charlie and Judy were married on June 27, 1964 at the Switzerland Baptist Church. Charlie and Judy enjoyed nearly 55 years of marriage together until she passed away in 2019. In 1967, Charlie and Judy purchased their beloved farm in Center Square and began raising cattle and pigs and grew hay, tobacco and large vegetable gardens. Charlie and Judy welcomed two daughters, Barbara Elaine and Jillanna Carol, to their family. Charlie read to his girls every night when they were young, often the same book over and over, and endured having his hair ‘set’ in too many curlers to count. As they grew up, he taught them to fish, catch snapping turtles, properly stack firewood and build a really sturdy hay fort. He supplied them with Craftsman tools and a solid work ethic. A patient and generally good-natured man, he entertained (i.e., tolerated) many years of the lawnmower being driven too fast, overly ambitious 4-H projects, peace signs on his roof and perhaps more than one scuffle over a curling iron. He supported all their endeavors and was extremely proud of his girls. A mild hoarder, he leaves behind to them every piece of scrap wood he ever came across – because you never know when you might need to build a thrifty horse or goat pen. After retiring in 1998, Charlie and Judy took several long, unmapped road trips across the country using one of his many trusty atlases to guide them. He also welcomed Buck, the yellow lab (aka ‘the son they never had’), who became Charlies constant companion. For many years, he had a standing Saturday afternoon appointment to meet up with the ‘regular crew’ of old friends at the Legion. In the cooler months, he changed into his ‘dress’ Carhart’s for the occasion. Charlie loved purple martins, mowing his fields, taking drives to check out the crops, a good fire in the wood stove, reading and rereading the newspaper, checking and rechecking the Weather Channel, watching NASCAR, golf, and his beloved Bengals, sneaking treats to the neighbor’s dogs, a good steak, homegrown August tomatoes and gravy on everything. He was kind, funny and pragmatic about most things. In recent years, he could most often be found in his garage, pipe in hand, ready to receive a visit from the wonderful friends he made throughout his life, always prepared to offer up a cold beer and talk it all over.
Charlie will be missed dearly by his daughters, Barbara and Jillanna; his canine buddy, Alex; his sister-in-law, Betty Firth Brown and his Jacksonville/Center Square neighbors and many, many friends.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Judith E. “Judy” (McAlister) Firth; his brothers, Jack, Graham, Robert, David and James Firth and his sisters, Stella Scott and Wanda Newcomb.
A Memorial Gathering will be held from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Thursday, September 8, 2022, at the Haskell & Morrison Funeral Home, 208 Ferry Street, Vevay, Indiana 47043.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Charles and Judy Firth Family Fund to benefit the YMCA % CFSCI, Vevay American Legion Post #185 Relief Fund, Vevay VFW Post #5396 Relief Fund or Charity of the Donor’s Choice. Cards are available at the funeral home or online at www.haskellandmorrison.com