Charlotte Hopkins Hardesty Haberstroh

Charlotte Hopkins Hardesty Haberstroh died Tuesday, December 15, 2020 at the home of her daughter H. Frances Haberstroh in Delmar, Maryland surrounded by her family following complications of a stroke. Charlotte was born on March 13, 1935 in Salisbury, Maryland to the late Herbert William Hardesty and Henrietta Hopkins Hardesty. Her maternal grandparents were the late Professor John Thomas Hopkins and Minnie Dashiell Hopkins. Her paternal grandparents were the late John Grafton Hardesty and Selma Mary Hardesty. Charlotte's husband, Richard Arthur Haberstroh preceded her in death on April 8, 2020, as did her beloved sister Barbara Hardesty Lang in 2007. She is survived by her three daughters, Barbara H. Haberstroh, of Salisbury, MD, Charlotte H. Hartsock (Langdon) of Charleston, SC, and Dr. H. Frances Haberstroh of Delmar, MD. In addition to her children, Charlotte is survived by five grandsons: Langdon A. Hartsock Jr., Richard T. Hartsock, Charles W. Hartsock, Alexander D. Haberstroh, and John T. Haberstroh, one niece, Susan H. Lang, and one nephew, William H. Lang.

Charlotte married Richard A. Haberstroh on August 8, 1959. Her family values were the main priority in her life. Family dinners were a special time always starting with prayers of thanksgiving demonstrating her deep religious belief that always centered her throughout her life. Charlotte and her family shared a long history with St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Her aunt, the late Frances P. Hopkins played the organ for St. Peter’s Church for many years. Charlotte taught Sunday school at St. Peter’s Church following in the footsteps of her father. When her father died at age 41, a memorial stained glass window was dedicated to him and placed in the rector’s office of St. Peter’s Church. Each member of her family was a source of pride. Her grandfather, John T. Hopkins, mastered the art of making violins that captured the highly desirable Stradivarius tone quality, and was the champion of the Hopkins family’s artistic talents as a self-taught musician and oil painter. Family photographs served as a constant reminder that absent relatives would not be forgotten. Each one held a respected place of honor on her antique server in the dining room. During holiday dinners, Charlotte would tell a story about each ancestor to celebrate their life and to honor their legacy as a member of her family. Animals likewise held a special place in Charlotte’s heart, ranking similarly in sentiment to her cherished family members. Charlotte very much enjoyed her rural homestead at High Banks, where she was able to comfortably raise ducks, rabbits, several dogs, and many cats during her lifetime. Her love of animals was handed down to her children who each regard pets as part of their family. It was Charlotte’s special affinity for helping sick and injured animals that struck a chord in the heart of her youngest daughter, Frances, who became a veterinarian as a result of this inherited love of animals. Charlotte’s dedication to the animal world was admirable when she would nurse even an injured monarch butterfly back to health by administering a tonic of sugar water to revive it back to life. Her sick cats also received special nursing care through the administration of her special concoction of egg, milk, and Karo syrup to restore them to health. Charlotte was a true inspiration to all who knew her and she had a special charm and warmth that made people want to be around her. She taught her daughters and her pupils that they could accomplish anything through hard work and determination. She ascribed to Thomas Edison’s famous quotation, “genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”. It was one of many famous quotes Charlotte would repeat to inspire her daughters and students, along with “everything you touch is velvet” meaning that every experience in life has value.

Charlotte began her path as a gifted reading teacher following the receipt of a B.S. degree in Education from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1957, and then a M.S. degree in Education with a focus on remedial reading from Salisbury State College in 1976. In 1977 she had the honor of traveling to London, England for post-graduate training in the British Primary School Program. This extraordinaire experience propelled her professional knowledge, and fostered the implementation of British teaching methods to guide Charlotte’s remedial readers to succeed. During her career, Charlotte instructed students at West Seaford School, North Salisbury School, University of Delaware, and Salisbury State University. Her special interest remained in the field of teaching reading throughout her career and also into retirement. Charlotte worked under the direction of Russell G. Stauffer, a national reading authority and author. She strongly believed that most children could be taught to read when properly motivated. She was passionate about teaching, and dedicated her life to teach both children and adults with mental disabilities. One of the most satisfying aspects of her life came from teaching the many students who left a mark on her heart, and brought her life’s work to fruition through their success in reading. Her pupils could overcome hurdles thought to be insurmountable by other educators. She refused to believe that a child or an adult was incapable of reading. Charlotte passionately devoted her time and energy implementing creative educational methods such as "incidental learning", to successfully guide challenged students to become competent readers. She often said, "if you can read, you can accomplish anything in life". This deep belief formulated the motivation for her to never give up on children who had been labeled slow learners. Charlotte shared her dedication for reading with the community by serving on the board of library trustees of the Wicomico County Free Library. Her name is memorialized on a plaque at the entrance of the library, her favorite place to visit in Salisbury, MD. Following her retirement from Salisbury University in 1992, Charlotte continued to tutor remedial readers, and also developed a passionate interest in oil painting. Charlotte believed that if one was interested in an endeavor that one should devote themselves to it with unwavering dedication until perfection was achieved. She clearly was never satisfied with anything less than superior performance. She spent the majority of her retirement years fervently pursuing the perfection of oil painting techniques. She completed formal training at the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, and at Salisbury State University. She created hundreds of masterful oil paintings that leave a special legacy memorializing her talent and creativity in the fine arts. Charlotte shared many special friendships with education colleagues and with friends who shared her interest in the fine arts. Charlotte knew and admired many of the local artists and collaborated with such like-minded people during workshops, informal study groups, and the lifelong pursuit of oil painting expertise. Charlotte often reflected on her past endeavors, and contemplated that “her life had been a good one”. One reason for this good life was her belief in living a simple life where her children, spouse, and parents were her top priority. She would urge people of today’s fast paced world which is so full of busy schedules and obligations to remember that the simple joys in life are family, church, and friends. She believed that these simple values are far more important than the accumulation of material things. It was her hope that she had successfully set a good example for living a life spent nurturing these simple but wholesome and fulfilling ingredients of life. Charlotte additionally found satisfaction and enjoyment in the cherished relationships she developed with her family, closest friends, respected colleagues, and the many special animals who shared her good life. She will be dearly missed and remembered by every living being that she touched, “great and small”.

A private service of Christian burial will be held on Saturday, January 2, 2021 at 2 p.m. at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. The Rev. David Michaud will officiate. Friends and family may view the service on-line by navigating to http://stpeterschurch.net/worship-on-line/ to download the service bulletin and to link to St. Peter's Facebook live-streaming page. On the left-hand side of the FB page choose "Videos". Interment will follow in Parsons Cemetery in Salisbury.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Johns Hopkins Division of Rheumatology (to research Lupus), Mason Lord Building, Center Tower 520 Eastern Avenue, Suite 4100, Baltimore, MD 21224, or to St. Peter's Episcopal Church Education Fund for Needy Children, 115 St. Peters Street, Salisbury, MD 21801.