Charles Henry Salsbury

Charles Henry “Hank” Salsbury, 94, of El Paso, TX, passed away on Sunday, December 25, 2022, in El Paso, TX. Born July 3, 1928, in Bisbee, AZ, he was the son of Dudley B. Salsbury and Emily (Barragan) Plumber. Hank attended Austin High School until 10 th grade when decided he’d had enough of high school and could no longer be contained in a classroom. Although he did eventually complete his high school GED, at the time he thought exploring other cities by way of any local train suited him much better than the classroom. He, his brother, and friends from the neighborhood would often hop a train and end up in some other town only to return days later to worried parents.

His desire to explore and travel lead him to join the Navy. He enlisted in 1945 at the age of 17 just before the end of WWII. A WWII and Korean War veteran, he served his country from 1945-1960. Hank’s inspiration to join the Navy was formed at age 6 during a visit to California with his family. On that visit, he witnessed a bunch of “happy and rich-looking” Navy sailors exiting their ship and just knew that was the life for him. While on active duty, he sailed around the world twice, picking up an abundance of anecdotes and souvenirs along the way. His favorite stop was New Zealand because of its intense beauty.

After active duty, he completed gunsmith school in Colorado and later became a licensed gun dealer. His time in Colorado was filled with extraordinary stories from living with messy roommates to almost accidentally being recruited to work for the local mafia. Throughout his life, he enjoyed making rifles, guns, bullets, and related items in his home gun shop. From there, he went on to work at the El Paso Airport on the airport ramp/flight line for 30 years from 1954 – 1984. He absolutely loved his job and said it was one of the most exciting places to work that you could imagine.

He loved the friendships and the excitement of meeting movie stars, politicians, and astronauts arriving at the airport. And notably, it was at the airport where he received his beloved nickname, “Grouchy Hank.” Hank had an incredible sense of humor and was an absolutely amazing storyteller. He loved to tell tales from growing up in El Paso, being in the Navy, and working at the El Paso Airport. Most of his stories centered around harmless pranks and mischief he and his friends loved getting into. He had an amazing memory, particularly for dates, and would share stories that would make you feel like you were right there with him when it happened. He prided himself on many things.

Hank and his neighborhood friends had a very close and special relationship, and he relished the fact that they were all able maintain their friendships throughout their lives. He was proud of his nickname, Grouchy Hank. And although he was indeed grouchy at times, secretly he was the kindest and most generous man you would ever meet. His favorite holiday greeting was “Bah Humbug,” which he always said with a mischievous grin. He was proud that he had completed the El Paso Times’ daily crossword puzzle and cryptoquip every day for 66 years. In addition, he prided himself for being the longest living friend from his old neighborhood, of his 36-member gun club, and of the Salsbury family.

Hank was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings, Richard Salsbury and Jeanne Hoover. He is survived by his brother-in-law, Ronald Hoover, his niece, Stacy Walker, his nephew, Robert Feld, his cousins, Barbara (John) Vogel, Patricia (Ray) Crump, Max (Kathryn) Long II, his first cousin once removed, Max Long III, his great nieces, Cassy Henderson and Nichole Yale, great nephews, Chris (Terri) Daniels, Jason (Candace) Daniels, and Travis (Mandy) Feld, and numerous extended family and friends who will miss him dearly.

Graveside services will be held on February 24, 2023, at 1:00 pm at Fort Bliss, TX.