Charles Lindbergh Kohler

April 30, 1927 - June 24, 2015

Charles Lindbergh Kohler, 88, a resident of Carneys Point, passed away peacefully Wednesday, June 24, 2015 at his residence surrounded by his family. He was born in Taylor, Pennsylvania, the youngest son of the late John and Catherine Sulzer Kohler. Charles “Kohler” enlisted in the US Navy and served on a Destroyer Escort-the USS Straub (DE-181) during the final years of WWII. After completing his naval service, he returned home and graduated from West Pittston (PA) High School. He attended the University of Scranton. Charles received his machinist apprenticeship at the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Sayre, PA. In 1952, he began his employment at E.I. DuPont Chambers Works retiring in 1983 after 31 years of service. “Kohler” was an active member of the First Baptist Church at Pedricktown where he held many leadership positions, including that of deacon, trustee, SS teacher, and BYF youth leader. He was a member of the National Destroyer Escort Sailors Association (DESA), past skipper of NJ DESA, and a member of the PA chapter of DESA. He was instrumental in reuniting the shipmates of the USS Straub (DE-181) and organized over 25 years of reunions. Mr. Kohler served as a volunteer for the IVB Philadelphia Classic and McDonald’s LPGA Championship golf tournaments for many years. He was a member of the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, DE. For several years, he was an active member of the Carneys Point Fire Department. Charles delivered Meals on Wheels for many years. He also coached various sports through the local YMCA. “Kohler’s” family was very important to him. He was an avid golfer, die-hard Boston Red Sox fan, and cat enthusiast. Survivors include his wife, Claire (nee McGarry) with whom he shared 66 years of marriage; daughters Nancy of Logan Township and Barbara of Dillon, CO; sisters-in-laws Betty McGarry O’Boyle of Sonoma, CA and Jean Agnew Dyson of Carneys Point; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Charles was preceded in death by his two brothers, Howard and Robert, and his sister Kathryn Kohler Reid. Services will be held at 11 AM on Saturday June 27th in the First Baptist Church at Pedricktown, 89 West Mill St., Pedricktown, where friends are invited to call from 9:30 – 11:00 AM. Following the service, interment will be held in the church cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Memorial Fund of the First Baptist Church at Pedricktown, PO Box 117, Pedricktown, NJ 08067 or Salem County Humane Society, PO Box 214, Carneys Point, NJ 08069. Arrangements are by Ashcraft Funeral Homes, Penns Grove and Pennsville. www.ashcraftfuneralhomes.com