Charles Wallace Weaver III
11/06/1945 - 11/19/2025
Charles Wallace “Wally” Weaver III, age 80, passed away peacefully on November 19, 2025, in Thomasville, North Carolina. Born on November 6, 1945, in Pensacola, Florida, Charles lived a life marked by kindness, devotion to family and faith, and an enduring passion for the outdoors and athletics.
Charles graduated from Pensacola High School before continuing his education at Pensacola Junior College and Florida State University, later earning his masters degree from the University of Western Florida. His love for children and physical activity led him to a fulfilling career as an elementary school physical education teacher with Asheville City Schools. Over the course of 30 years, he inspired countless students with his energy and encouragement. His dedication to excellence in teaching was recognized through his achievement of National Board Certification—an honor that reflected both his professional commitment and personal integrity.
In addition to his career in education, Charles served his country with humility and honor. Drafted into the U.S. Army straight out of college, he served as a supply desk clerk in the Vietnam War and completed his service stationed at Arlington National Cemetery. Though he did not see combat, he fulfilled his duties with quiet strength and patriotism.
Charles’s life was deeply rooted in faith. A devoted follower of Christ, he was an active member of both First Baptist Church and Biltmore Church in Asheville. He found joy in attending Sunday School and participating in church life, where his warmth and sincerity touched many. True to his roots, in retirement, he coached several seasons of youth soccer through his church and enjoyed being Coach Weaver once again.
Family was at the heart of everything Charles did. He was a devoted father to his daughters Lara (Martin) Brongel of Chicago, Illinois & Holly (Ian) Raulston of Greensboro, North Carolina, always attentive to their well-being and happiness. His love extended to his five grandchildren—Vera, Owen, Thomas, Gabriel, and Edmund—who brought him immense joy. He also shared close bonds with his former wife of 25 years Jackie Schauer; sister Carol (Denny) Wolters; stepsister Ellen (Charlie) Van Arsdale; nieces and nephews Timothy (Karen) Wolters, Stephanie (Matt) Davenport, Alison (Charley) Wolters, and Jeffrey (Kim) Wolters; cousin Becky Golovko; as well as longtime and enduring friends Jamie (Terry) Wells and Joe (Charlotte) Oberto.
He held dear memories of those who preceded him in death: his mother Marguerite Weaver; father Charles Weaver; stepmother Jean Weaver; cousins Gordon Cassels and Alex Golovko; and beloved aunts Vera (Dwight) Coons and Lois (Gordon) Cassels.
Though at times somewhat timid about the world, Charles stepped out of his comfort zone and showed great courage to travel with his family several times in his life. The first such experience was a cross country trip in a pop up VW van with Jackie, before they got married. They had a great adventure going up the Blue Ridge Parkway into Maine, into Quebec and across to Saskatchewan, down the Rockies and then turning east in New Mexico to head back to Pensacola.
The next adventure came when Charles received a Fulbright Award to complete an exchange with another PE teacher in England in 1990. The two families swapped homes and Charles taught at The Gregg School in Southampton, UK, where he was adored for his southern accent and charm. The family was able to travel extensively around the UK during that year, and “Wally” came home as Charles, once it was learned that the term “wally” meant “foolish” in the UK. He embraced his new persona as “Sir Charles,” which he kept when he returned back to the United States and used jokingly when he met new people.
These milestone trips culminated with a 2 week adventure in Australia and New Zealand with Holly after she completed her study abroad program in Melbourne. Any plane travel, especially internationally, made Charles severely anxious, but he made it through 24+ hours of navigating multiple airports and flights, including that long-haul 14 hour flight, surprising everyone. Holly and Charles traveled together from Melbourne to Brisbane, took a 3 day trip on a tourist yacht out into the Whitsunday Islands and snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef (he was a good sport, being the only one on that boat over the age of 30!). They also spent several days driving and sightseeing around the Auckland area in New Zealand, including a traditional Maori performance and dinner, a visit to the Waitomo caves with the glow-worms, and a comical “bushwalk” through a pasture that ended with mud caked all over their sneakers and pants. It was one of the most memorable trips of both of their lives.
Upon his retirement, he took great pride and joy in moving in with his aging father and stepmother in Florida and providing care and companionship as they needed it. He eventually returned to his beloved mountain home of Asheville, where he connected with pickleball friends and his Sunday school group at Biltmore Church.
Charles’s cancer journey began in 2019 when he was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. During treatment he underwent a stem cell transplant and chemotherapy under the loving care of Jackie and longtime friend Jamie. He faced this incredibly challenging and frightening diagnosis with grace and determination, achieving remission in 2020. Unfortunately, his health began to deteriorate shortly thereafter with the development of severe neuropathy in both feet, which prevented him from participating in many of his favorite physical activities and pastimes. Coupled with the pandemic and his reduced immune system, Charles quietly suffered, being isolated from his community.
Charles was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in November of 2023, after having moved to Greensboro to be closer to his daughter, Holly. Holly faithfully and lovingly watched over him throughout the transition from independent living to home care to assisted living, and eventually into the memory care unit at Brookstone Terrace, a small and family oriented facility in nearby Thomasville. The family is grateful for the care he received while a resident in both Assisted Living and “The Cottage” and the relationships the staff developed with him, caring for him with love up until the very end of his life. He always made the staff smile with his silly responses and quirks, not to mention his love for bananas and oreos, as he was often known to stuff them in his pockets whenever he got the chance and hide them away in his room.
Charles’s zest for life was evident in everything he did. An avid runner and cyclist well into his later years, he could often be found jogging laps at the local track, playing tennis, or riding his bike through Biltmore Forest in Asheville. Every so often he would surprise us with a new interest, like when he decided after watching Holly take tap lessons for years that he would like to try and he joined the adult beginner class at her studio! After a couple of years of practice, his dancing career culminated in a lively stage performance at their end of year recital. Pickleball became one of his favorite pastimes in recent years, and he was known for grilling salmon to perfection for friends and family gatherings. In addition, Charles was a dedicated blood donor, donating over 10 gallons to the Red Cross over his lifetime.
A loyal fan of Florida State University sports teams, Charles cheered them on enthusiastically from home and chatted about sports and faith frequently with his old college pals Jamie and Joe. His days were full—of movement, laughter, prayer, friendship—and so was his heart.
Those who knew Charles remember him as kind-hearted, personable, active, and always ready with a smile or laugh. He had a gift for making others feel seen and valued—a quality that earned him lifelong friendships across generations.
Whether you knew him as Wally, “Sir” Charles, or Coach Weaver, he will be forever remembered with love by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
The family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks to the entire team at Hospice of Davidson County and the caring staff members at Brookstone Terrace of Thomasville. A special note of thanks goes to Resa Raulston (Holly’s mother-in-law) for always taking the time to check in and love on Charles while visiting her own family at Brookstone Terrace, and being a huge source of support for Holly by lending a sympathetic ear.
In lieu of flowers, we request that donations be made in Charles’s memory to Cancer Services (https://cancerservicesonline.org), The SECU Family House (www.familyhousews.org), or Hospice of Davidson County.
The family will host a celebration of life service Monday, December 15th, at 2:00 pm at Biltmore Church in Arden, NC, Room 104.
I met Charles “Wally” Weaver sometime around 1970. I immediately liked Wally and his amiable, laidback attitude of “one telephone pole” at a time view of life. We began to spend a great deal of time together while we both lived in Pensacola, Fl. I remember going out to eat with him numerous times at Hopkins Boarding House in Pensacola as well as visiting Pensacola beach at night during thunder and lightning storms.
Wally eventually took a job In Gainesville, FL. after I had been transferred by GMAC to Miami and I would stop and see him frequently in Gainesville. We lost contact with each other for a few years but in 1978, when I was newly married and teaching in a Christian school in Boca Raton, FL he called and asked if they could crash at our apartment. This began a deeper relationship and when we moved to Atlanta in August 1978, Wally and spouse soon followed several months later.
Eventually they moved on to Asheville and Wally began his teaching career. We would sometime drive up and visit and he would tease me about gaining weight, since Wally was very active in youth sports and excellent about keeping in shape. As the years went by, we had many lengthy phone conversations about Christ and the church. Wally left First Baptist and was later very active in Biltmore Baptist in Asheville. Sometimes we would watch sermons online together. We were both rabid FSU Football fans and would discuss the Seminoles’ many ups and downs. Sports was a universal language that never grew old, even as we ourselves did.
Wally loved the Lord and we both got into Charles Spurgeon sermons and loved Spurgeon’s invaluable ‘Morning and Evening Devotions.’ We would discuss them during many a phone call. When it was discovered that he had blood cancer, he asked if I would come and stay with him during his ordeal for about one week in North Carolina. I am so glad I did because we had even deeper talks about the Lord in that special time. He also talked about the terrible pain when his mother died and he wept deeply over this.
Charles “Wally” Weaver was a great friend who could make me laugh and cry and whose companionship I thoroughly enjoyed. I will miss him more than I can say, but I know we will see each other again in Heaven.
I am so terribly sorry for the passing of your dear father.
May God rest his soul.
I will miss this sweet gentleman and i mean gentle giant. He was such a caring person . I enjoyed talking with him and sometimes a dance but he would tell me that was crazy. I loved cleaning his room while talking to him. I love you Charles and will miss you but now you are at peace and with Jesus. Prayers for your family and your sweet Hollyand her sister.
We of the Biltmore Church JOY Connect Group were greatly blessed by having Charles a part of our group for many years. We rejoice in his life that he shared with us and look forward to seeing him again in that glorious better place God has prepared for us. But in the meantime, our prayers will be with his family in the loss of his daily devotion to them.
After reading Charles’ obituary,I realized he was ever a better man than I was privy to.
I met Charles in high school. We remained casual friends and our friendship grew in Junior College. The summer he graduated from FSU, he immediately received his draft notice. We were in Pensacola that summer and I suggested he lose his gut and run cross country with me at PJC before going to boot camp at Fort Dix. That was a real bonding experience for us. I gained weight 25 years later and Charles remained fit for the rest of his life. He would call me and say he was running three miles for his mentor. I would say, “I am eating this double chocolate Dunkin donut for you.” Maybe I do get some credit for being on the ground floor of his lifetime of fitness.
Even though I could be an annoying type of personality I only remember Charles getting irritated with me 3 times in 60 years. Once at his house, I ate half of a blueberry pie overnight and he was looking forward to pie for breakfast. There was a time when I would eat anything that did not eat me first. Another time I said that Jackie and Charlotte were the only pretty girls in Asheville and the rest not so pretty. The other time was when I talked politics around Jackie. Charles was very forgiving, though.
Charles owned a VW bus, and because I was always looking for adventure, one summer we went on a month-long tour of the Pacific Northwest and California. I don’t remember any conflict even though we slept side by side in his VW camper. We went for a hike and planned to spend the night with a blanket each and some canned goods. We were in good shape and soon were in Alpine country. It always gets below freezing at night and without some experienced backpackers loaning us a solar blanket we would have unquestionably died of hypothermia.
Once when Wally was visiting me in Georgia, I asked him to help me pick out a tree for my yard. He could be slow to make decisions, and when he quickly decided what tree I should buy, I said, “that was awfully quick for you.” He said, “that’s because it’s your tree, not mine.”
I’ll always miss my good buddy, but look forward to seeing him in heaven.
I am so very sorry I missed the service for Charles. He was a devoted teacher and loyal friend.
My love goes out to his daughters and their families, Jacqui, and all who experienced Charles’s dedication to life!
Alida Woods