Passing of Charlie Cleveland

[charlie cleveland]

Our daddy , Charlie Cleveland passed away peacefully yesterday January 3,2023. He so enjoyed being a part of this group. We have heard many stories that many of you have shared with our dad. We thank you all for befriending our dad. We ask for your prayers.

Thank you
The Charlie Cleveland Family

[John Dallas]

He surely will be missed. An important contributor to this group. RIP Charlie

[Stan Hoover]

Thanks for sharing of his passing with his friends, We will miss Charlie!

May the Lord be with you as a family as you move through this difficult time.

We enjoyed Charlie's posts, he was a big fan of 8 & 10 gauges, I wished we could have had him attend one of our 8 gauge events, he would have loved seeing the Big Guns.

Please accept my condolences,
Stan Hoover

[todd allen]

Wow, this is an absolute punch in the gut!
Though we never met, I have always loved his earthy country boy posts about the simple pleasures of making black powder, hunting "squirrls", working on tractors, and all things country.
I pray for God's peace and comfort to Charlie's family. He will be sorely missed!

[Randy G Roberts]

Charlie brought a special and unique personality to the forum that was admired by all. He will be missed. My condolences to the family.

[Daniel Carter]

AT the moment i am too upset to say anything. He and i were of the same age and army experience and though i never met him i felt a kinship with him.So sorry to hear this.God be with you.

[Dean Romig]

I loved to read Charlie's posts and his wonderful stories of Parkers and his shooting the best targets for his purposes - Dr. Pepper cans. And of his trucks and tractors and his '37 Chevy. What a wonderful man he was! I will miss his colorful country-man speech and his writing. What a terrible loss to his family and friends and to all of his friends here in the PGCA.

I sincerely hope his dear wife Bessie and the whold family can find peace.

- RIP Good Friend





.

[David Noble]

Charlie was an iconic personality. He will be sorely missed here. May God rest his soul and bring some comfort from the grief to his family.

[Larry Stauch]

Shocking; some things you're never ready to hear. A warm and special tear for a kind man who found something nice to say about any situation.
Prayers granted.

[Bill Murphy]

I can't describe all Charlie has done for the posters on this site. What a great guy, great farmer, great mechanic, great hunter. We all want to hear more about Charlie's life and times.

[Randy G Roberts]

Some reading from the Parker Pages that you may find of interest. These can be found in the Parker Pages archives:

A Kansas Hunt. Authored by Charlie Cleveland and Calvin Humburg. Summer 2011 issue, page 44.

A Turkey Hunt with Charlie 8 Gauge. Authored by Mike Franzen. Summer 2015 issue, page 24.

[Wayne Owens]

Very sad news. I will certainly miss all his posts.

[Ken Descovich]

What could be said about Charlie Cleveland, well he was a true southern gentleman that touched many of us on this forum, he will sorely be missed.god speed sir and condolences to his family.

[keavin nelson]

Truly a sad day, they broke the mold when they made him. A man of wonderful country wit, amazing wisdom in all things shooting, and ready to help anyone who needed it. We will miss his presence and posts here. God speed and blessings and condolences to his family, may they find peace.

[Jim DiSpagno]

Rest in Peace Charlie. I’ll miss reading his posts and the joy of the simple pleasures he drew from shooting and hunting.

[J. Scott Hanes]

My only knowledge of Charlie Cleveland was through this site. I immediately knew he was a farmer at heart and we could share a kinship that only those raised in farming could know. I appreciated his down-to-earth posts and his love for the rural life. His passing will definitely leave a void in this space. RIP Mr. Charlie Cleveland. God won!

[Robert Brooks]

Charlie was my favorite! May God Bless his family. Bobby

[Mike Koneski]

So sorry to hear this! Charlie was definitely a unique individual. I enjoyed his posts, especially ones related to big bore guns and making black powder. Our prayers go out to your family for peace and healing in your time of grief.

[William Woods]

My condolences to Charlie's family and friends. I too, will miss reading his posts.

[Daryl Corona]

RIP Charley. I'm gettin' kind of tired of reading of all these deaths as of late. May God bless us all for another year amongst friends.

[Chuck Bishop]

What a unique individual! This forum will not be the same without him. Condolences to his family. RIP Charlie.

[Reggie Bishop]

Charlie was a Country Gentleman. A Southern Country Gentleman. He will be missed.

[chris dawe]

Terrible thing to hear today ,always looked forward to ,and read all Charlie's stories

[Mike Koneski]

Cleveland family, please see Charlie’s private message inbox. I just sent a message there for your family.

[Dean Romig]

Some reading from the Parker Pages that you may find of interest. These can be found in the Parker Pages archives:

A Kansas Hunt. Authored by Charlie Cleveland and Calvin Humburg. Summer 2011 issue, page 44.

A Turkey Hunt with Charlie 8 Gauge. Authored by Mike Franzen. Summer 2015 issue, page 24.


Thanks very much Randy - I was going to post that very same information
It was great fun editing "A Kansas Hunt" in Vol. 18, Issue 2.





.

[edgarspencer]

There is nothing I could say that hasn't been said by all the others. I don't think I ever scrolled on by a new post from Charlie, because no matter what kind of day I was having, Charlie always made it better. I truly loved him and his wisdom. He could say so much, and in such a humble, and unambiguous way. We all could take a lesson by the joy he seemed to find, and share with us. I am very sad for his passing.

[Frank Cronin]

Well said Edgar. Charlie will be missed. With deepest sympathy to the Cleveland family as you remember Charlie.

[Randy G Roberts]

Thanks very much Randy - I was going to post that very same information
It was great fun editing "A Kansas Hunt" in Vol. 18, Issue 2.


.

If memory serves in the turkey hunting article read the first paragraph I think it was where Mike calls Charlie and he's in jail. From there you just gotta get comfy and read the story. I bet Mike has some stories. :rotf:

RIP Mr. Charlie.

[Jerry Harlow]

When I read a post from Charlie I was reading from a man that represented Mississippi and the South to me. His stories on opening up regular old guns to 3 1/2" chambers and then shooting them, stories of hunting with his grandkids and how proud he was of them, his stories of going out and coming home empty handed when the turkeys would not come, and the assortment of cars, tractors, and guns he worked on. I remember well the story he told of getting his shots during Army boot camp with the blood running down his leg and being unable to sit down. I just wish he could have posted pictures of himself and his exploits. Maybe the family will with his obituary so we all can have that memory of him. Please keep his membership going and share if you kindly will some of Charlie in action!

[todd allen]

Here's what I found going through some PP Archives. Sometimes it helps to put a face with the stories.
Charlie looks like I would imagine. An old country gentleman.
God's speed Charlie!
122237

[Angel Cruz]

A very sad moment, I really liked Charlie. My sympathies to the family. Rest in peace Charlie.

[Milton C Starr]

I hate to hear this, I used to have a whole inbox full of messages where me and Charlie talked about all manners related to the 8 gauge. Charlie actually made it possible for me to get my first 8 gauge, I remember once he wanted some of the 8 ga boxes I had and offered to pay for them but I sent him some for free because had Charlie helped me out greatly before. I wish I could find the hand written letter Charlie sent me , I know Charlies health was bad but I wanted to be optimistic about it I will miss Charlie and his insight. There were alot of times when I logged on all I would do was message back and forth with Charlie.

[Garry L Gordon]

It was clear to me that Charlie was a kind soul and a honest-to-God gentleman. All of these posts are a testament to his character. I hope his family find a bit of comfort in what our members have written. For me, I won't sit on a tractor, brush hog the back 40, or call to a turkey without thinking of Charlie. Peace be with his family. I'm sure Charlie is at peace.

[CraigThompson]

Condolences and prayers to Charlie’s family

[Mike Poindexter]

What a loss. A truer man rarely wrote on these pages. Godspeed Charlie.

[Phillip Carr]

Charlie was a good guy. I was fortunate to have Charlie and Bessie come through Tucson years back and spent a few days.
Enjoyed their company. Charlie wanted to see Tombstone, Apache country and Johnny Ringo’s grave.
We managed to do that and made some friends.
I sure will miss Charlies posts.
RIP.

[Bill Jolliff]

Very sad news indeed. We will miss his stories and posts.

Thank you Todd for posting his picture.

Rest in Peace Charlie.

[Mills Morrison]

Charlie was one of my favorites and I will miss him.

[Allen Peterson]

Sad news about Charlie. He always said something nice and his positive and friendly postings will be missed. RIP Charlie

[Garth Gustafson]

What a fine man he was. I’m really going to miss him. RIP Charlie…

[Victor Wasylyna]

My condolences to the Cleveland family.

(Photograph posted with Mike's permission.)

-Victor

[Chris Pope]

Thank you for posting the photo. I so enjoyed his posts about black powder "research and development". A ton of character just departed the world and this forum.

[Victor Wasylyna]

A ton of character just departed the world and this forum.

Yup!

-Victor

[Mike Franzen]

My very first news of the day was Victor calling to tell me Charlie Cleveland had died. We spent several minutes talking about him and then I came here to read it for myself. Like others have expressed I too had a deep appreciation for him long before we ever met. So much so he was my first choice to write a story about for the Parker Pages. I think we all recognize there was something special about the man that we were able to discern from just reading his posts. I truly wanted to meet him and I thought the members would be interested in what I found out. I wrote it as best I could but sadly it fell far short of actually being with him. He loved his old guns and his old cars but most of all he loved his family and his sweet wife Bessie. He could tell a story in such a way it would draw you in, captivate your attention and leave you spellbound. Of all the things he showed me and told me about, one in particular stands out above all the rest. (I know I’m being long winded but it’s therapeutic.) Early one morning before the sun came up we were sitting at the kitchen table eating hot biscuits and talking about turkey hunting. He said I want to show you something and walked into another room. He came back carrying something wrapped in an old piece of cloth. The way he held it and looked at it I new it was of tremendous value and importance to him. He sat down and reverently uncovered an ancient looking long box turkey call. Long and skinny, I thought I had never seen anything like it. He told me it belonged to his father who used it for years before giving it to him. I believe that humble piece of wood fashioned into a hunting implement was his most prized earthly possession. To me this summed up the essence of the man. He could draw joy and happiness from the simple of things and could share and convey those feelings to everyone around him. I loved Charlie Cleveland and will be forever grateful for the experience he allowed me to share with him. I’ll leave with a short video as we left the hunting grounds and traveled The Old Field Road. https://youtu.be/EXNlRtZBJBI?si=fyxRGOWmHH8lDymq

[Daniel Carter]

Do not know how to post a link to this. Obit is on Senter funeral home , Fulton Miss. Would appreciate some one doing it.

[John Knobelsdorf II]

https://senterfuneraldirectors.com/obituaries/charles-cleveland/

[Dave Suponski]

OMG! So very sorry to hear this. I enjoyed Charlie’s posts He will be missed. Condolences to the family

[GunnerGrilli]

Rest in Peace my friend. Charlie was a great man and mentor in regards to the "Big Bores". He loved 8 gauges. Talking with Charlie was a pleasure. I am shocked and very sad to hear of his passing. God Bless the Cleveland family. I am thankful to have known him, and the knowledge he passed along to others. He was a great contributor to this forum. I know he has a Big 8 ready on the "Big Pond" up above.



Bobby

[edgarspencer]

I remember ten years ago or so, there was a mongrel 8 bore Parker in the silent auction at the Annual Meeting and dinner in Rhode Island. Some kind sole bought it and gave it to Charlie. He loved that gun as though it was an A1S.

[Craig Larter]

What a shock, Charlie was a wonderful addition to the Parker universe. Being a 8ga shooter we had much in common. Charlie was a kind and gentle man who had a passion for the simple parts of life, brush hogging, planting for doves and shooting Dr, Pepper cans for pattern testing. He sold me a nice vintage 8ga box which has a prominent space on my shelf of shotshell boxes. We will all miss him dearly and will have him in our prayers.

[Rick Roemer]

Sorry to hear, he was always a delight to read or to converse with. A big man who loved big bores. We all should aspire to his nature. The PGCA is better because of Charlie Cleveland.

[Pete Lester]

Sad news. May he R.I.P. He will always come to mind when I see a Dr. Pepper can.

[Phil Yearout]

Two things among the many I remember about Charlie: how he appreciated simple old Stevens guns, and his recent joy at finally getting a Daisy Red Ryder. RIP Charlie.

[Steve Cambria]

What sad news. Time to put a STOP to this awful trend!! We're losing far too many esteemed and truly unique characters from our micro-sized community.

Whether on his beloved farm or afield, Charlie epitomized "the glass half-full" approach to life's challenges, perhaps his most enduring legacy. I had never seen a picture of the man until today, but if I had to pay a police sketch artist to illustrate what I conjured up in my mind, it would have been damn close to the 10-ring!

I'd be willing to bet that St. Peter met Charlie at the pearly gates toting a NOS 8-bore and a Hills Bros. can of homemade black powder. RIP Mr. Cleveland.

"SQUIRL" hunting will never be the same in your absence!! :bowdown:

[edgarspencer]

Whether on his beloved farm or afield, Charlie epitomized "the glass half-full" approach to life's challenges, perhaps his most enduring legacy.

If one were to sum up Charlie's quality in one sentence, I think Steve just did it.

I still get glassy eyed thinking about a forum without Charlie.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Charlie was a blessing for the PGCA family , and we all feel like we have lost a close relative.
Prayers for his family.

[Stan Hillis]

I just happened upon this sad thread this morning, and like all others here am saddened at the loss. We are richer for Charlie having had such a big presence here.

To the Cleveland family, know that we are remembering you in our corporate prayers for comfort and peace at this difficult time. We all feel like we had a "kinship" with Charlie. He was just that special a person. As you grieve his passing please know that we all grieve with you. There will be a void on this forum that no man will ever fill. What a special guy he was!

Rest in peace, brother.

[Greg Baehman]

So sorry to learn of Charlie’s passing. I’ll always remember Charlie as a thoughtful and compassionate man which he had shown us thousands of times through his many posts. Charlie always had something positive to say.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Charlie was one of a kind he loved the simple life style, something we all should take note on, He loved old cars 8 ga guns and hunting for his next gun a the gun shows, The organization is getting a lot of us getting older, Hope Charlies stories will live on for they have a meaning in them RIP Mr Charlie, Gary

[Chad Hefflinger]

So sorry to hear. Charlie, you will be missed but not forgotten.
I envision you in a heavenly place holding a 16 lb 40” barreled Parker 8 bore and smiling.

[Dean H Hanson]

Charlie Cleveland made me smile, find contentment, enjoy easy pleasures, be satisfied with an honest days work, look forward to a challenge, and to be aware of simple surroundings. I am sad.
Sending love and strength to ALL his loved ones.

[Pete Lester]

Charlie's Obit and Guest Book is here:

https://senterfuneraldirectors.com/obituaries/charles-charlie-cleveland/

[Russ Jackson]

I just found this post this morning and am so sorry to read of Charlie's passing ! When I would see he posted ,his would be the first post I would read ! I always enjoyed his Reports on Car Shows he attended or Gun Shows and what interested him there and of course his never ending stories of working on his equipment ,old cars and working up his food plots ! His hunts with his Family were always special just as he was such a special person and will be missed by us all ! Our Prayers and Condolences are with his entire family ! God Bless you all and Give You Peace !

[Garry L Gordon]

Charlie's Obit and Guest Book is here:

https://senterfuneraldirectors.com/obituaries/charles-charlie-cleveland/

Thanks, Pete.

[Rick Losey]

he will be sorely missed here

you had a wonderful unique father

we were blessed to have had him as a member

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Charlie was the best of us all, a true country gentleman.

I'm glad I finally made it down to visit he and your mother a couple falls back.

We are less with his passing.

[hugh rather]

I was saddened to learn of the passing of my fellow Mississippian.What a wonderful contributor to our shooting sports in such a unique manner.He will be missed.God's blessings on his family.

[Jim Kremmel]

RIP Charlie. God bless.