Vernon Gregory Charles

Vernon Gregory Charles was born to Vernon Edger Charles (deceased) and Ina Elfreda Charles in Kitty Village, in Georgetown, Guyana. He was the eldest of five siblings: Ivan (deceased), Desiree, Aubrey (deceased), and Mark. He enlisted in the British Royal Marines under the British Military in 1962 at seventeen years old. After enlisting, he completed boot camp in England, where he was assigned to the First Battalion within The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Infantry Regiment. Vernon completed tours in places such as Malta, Sicily, Gibraltar, and Morocco. He was also one of the first members of color in the Royal Marines band, in which he played the clarinet. He served in the British Military for six years.

Towards the end of Vernon’s military career, while on duty in Belgium, he overheard a band performing and his love for music drew him towards them. Vernon then sang and performed with the band. Shortly after his performance, the band manager contacted him and encouraged him to join. He decided to pursue his passion for music, in which he relocated to Brussels, Belgium in 1968 to join The J.J. Band. During this time, Vernon was able to tour across Europe. After his time with The J.J. Band, he then ventured onto his solo career, where his first record was “Baby Won’t You Turn Me On”. He also worked alongside other musicians to create Funk/Pop classics, such as “Baby Lets Do It The French Way” by the Chocolat’s in 1977. While in Belgium, Vernon was blessed with his first son Gregory, on May 11, 1971.

Vernon later immigrated to the United States in June of 1978. In December of 1979, he received a position as a Food Service Worker, within the Nutrition and Food Services Department at Howard University Hospital where he worked for 39 years, until he was diagnosed with cancer in 2018. He married Josefina Palma Buenaventura on October 20, 1994. While married they had their son Brian, on April 24, 1995 and daughter Amber, on December 16, 1997. He valued spending time with family and friends, cycling, fishing, road trips, drawing, and being an avid karaoke singer. He had an infectious spirit, extremely kind heart, loved his family immensely, and was a lover of learning which allowed him to become fluent in French and Dutch, as well as speaking both German and Italian. God called Vernon home on Monday, January 2, 2023. He is survived by his mom, Ina; wife, Josefina; sons, Gregory and Brian; daughter, Amber; grandsons, Gregory Jr. and Makai; brother, Mark; sister, Desiree; as well as three nephews and three nieces. Vernon will be greatly missed by many and will remain in our hearts forever.