Charles Franklin Eiber-Thurmond

Charles (who was affectionately called Carlos, Carlitos, Charles-alones, Sweets, Cutes, Augustine, Papi and Papa) was born on March 9, 1951 in Anchorage, Alaska to Charlie and Charlene Thurmond. His early childhood included living back and forth between Alaska and Georgia as his family moved with the Military. Due to the different dialects and accents, he always joked that no matter where he lived, people said he “talked funny!”

Charles started working at the age of 7 picking cotton and had many odd jobs throughout his teen-age years. He worked cooking and cleaning at his parents’ motels, assisting families at a local funeral home and helping his dad fix cars. Charles finished high school in Georgia and shortly after joined the United States Air Force where he had a distinguished career, retiring with Honors in 1992. Charles lived and worked in many places during that time including Georgia, Guam, Alaska, Nebraska and Colorado Springs at NORAD where his specialty was Satellite Systems. He had a top-secret clearance and was often responsible for notifying Commanders of incoming threats. He spoke highly of serving the United States and told his stories with pride.

After retiring from the Air Force, Charles received his Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Denver, eventually becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He worked primarily with adolescents in residential treatment centers and always seemed to be everyone’s favorite therapist; kids and parents alike. He had a special way of understanding the trials that families were going through and made a difference in those young lives. Charles retired again in 2012 as a Supervisor in Customer Service at T. Rowe Price investment company. No matter where Charles worked, he made friends, had a good sense of humor and left an impression on the people around him.

In the early years while he was in the Air Force, Charles had four children: Pam, Angela, Becky and Jon. They remember their father as a fun, loving Dad who played with them, took them to the doctor, arranged camping trips and cooked family meals. He was the master of making “SOS” which continues to be a favorite meal in their memories. Charles was always the first one to purchase new technology and is fondly remembered for buying one of the first VCR’s for one of Pam’s birthday parties. Best. Dad. EVER!

Charles was married in 1998 to Dawn Eiber with whom he shared over 20 years in marriage. Charles and Dawn decided to take each other’s names, so he took Eiber and she took Thurmond, hence, Dawn and Charles Eiber-Thurmond. Together they were lucky enough to travel many places throughout the United States and abroad including Mexico, Italy, Greece, France, and the Panama Canal to name a few. Charles and Dawn loved exploring new places to taste the food, listen to the music and experience different cultures. They had a fun and loving marriage. Charles had a zest for life, a beautiful smile and a spirit about him that was unmatched. There was never a dull moment with Charles around!

Little known facts about Charles include that he was an accomplished singer and pianist. He worked at Six Flags Over Georgia and sang with Debbie Reynolds. He loved flowers, reading, traveling, the beach, sitting on his deck listening to music, and last but not least, his sweet “little red dog” Jackson.

He is survived by his wife, Dawn Eiber-Thurmond, his children Pam (Cole) Doupe, Angela (Rob) Gallop, Becky (Bob) Maynard, Jon (Kelly) Thurmond and his grandchildren Christopher, Lauren, Kayla, Abby, Melanie, Jakub, Nathaniel, Emileigh, Ansley, and Kaylin.

A celebration of life will be held on November 11 from 3pm to 5pm at the Garden of the Gods Resort and Club: 3320 Mesa Road Colorado Springs, CO 80904: The Garden Room. In lieu of flowers, Charles would like donations to be made to the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region or Greccio Housing. Charles felt that both organizations made a difference in the lives of either people or animals. Both were close to his heart. Cheers Charles! We miss you!