Friday, December 29th Charles Staley Boswell of Reidsville, NC left this world with family by his side to be reunited with friends, family and the Lord.
Born in Alamance County, North Carolina to John Preston Boswell, Sr. and Lillian Walker Boswell, Charles lived in McCray farming community. At age 10 he moved to Orange County to assist his Aunt Alice while his Uncle Cecil was ill. Charles remained on dairy farm after Alice married Aubrey Ivey. Charles graduated from Hillsborough High School in 1962 and attended Western Carolina College.
At the Wesley Foundation at Western, Charlie met his wife of 59 years—Mary Jo Morgan. They married on March 8, 1964. Charles graduated from WCC in 1966 and remained an ardent supporter of the university.
Charles and Mary Jo had two children Stacy Cavey (Bill) and William Boswell (Melissa) whom he instilled a great appreciation for nature. He loved his grandbabies: Mekayla Boswell (Luke), Caleb Boswell, Mekenna Boswell, Kenan Boswell (Kayla), Staley Cavey, Gracie Cavey and Aubrey Cavey, travelling to see them in Hawaii, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina.
Living in Greensboro, Charles worked for Lorillard, Ciba-Geigy and Chemical Waste Management and was a dedicated member of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church. Bringing Charles great joy was the Greensboro Jaycees and their “Old-Timers” group. Annually, he volunteered at the Greater Greensboro Open (now the Wyndham Championship). In 2023 he missed his first tournament in over 55 years.
The family moved to Kinston, North Carolina when Charles took a position with Daly Herring (now Prillaman). The family joined Westminster United Methodist Church and if he wasn’t at church on Sundays, they were sailing on the Trent or Neuse Rivers. Charles shared his love of boating with fellow members of the Kinston Power Squadron and served as their Commander from 1992-1993.
In 2002 Charles and Mary Jo returned to the Piedmont living in Rockingham County. Charles worked for Beta and continued his involvement with Power Squadron in the Greensboro chapter. Charles and Mary Jo were founding members of the Wentworth Ruritans Club. He and Mary Jo attended Wentworth United Methodist Church and transitioned to Speedwell Presbyterian Church in 2020. For the last year, they have resided at The Landings of Reidsville.
Ever the entrepreneur, Charles enjoyed many years of sales outside of his full-time positions. He and Mary Jo enjoyed making friends, travelling and meeting a wide variety of people through Amway, Raleigh Products, Quorum, Excel Telecommunications and Amsoil.
Charles is survived by his wife Mary Jo and his sister Rachel Boswell Page. He is preceded in death by his parents, Aunt Alice Lloyd Ivey, Uncle Aubrey Ivey, Uncle Cecil Lloyd, and siblings John Preston Boswell, Jr., Janet Boswell Lee, Catherine Boswell and Nancy Carolyn Boswell.
A memorial service will be conducted at Speedwell Presbyterian Church in Reidsville on Saturday, January 13, 2023 at 2:00 by Dr. Charles Howell.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Hospice Home of Burlington (or your local Hospice facility), Duke Cancer Institute or Speedwell Presbyterian Church.
Citty Funeral Home is assisting the Boswell family. Online condolences may be sent to: www.cittyfh.com
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