Charles Gail Cummings

CUMMINGS, Charles Gail, 69 years old, passed away on January 8th, 2015. The son of Nathaniel Cummings and Stella Courtney, Chuck was born on June 22nd, 1945, in Payneville, KY, and resided in San Antonio for the past forty-five years.

Chuck was a United States Army Vietnam veteran and served as a combat medic and certified army diver. He was the recipient of two Bronze Stars with Valor, the Purple Heart, the Army Air Medal, the Army Diving Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Joint Services Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal for two tours of duty, the Good Conduct Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal. Chuck was also honored to serve in the Honor Guard for President John F. Kennedy’s funeral. He was a life time member of the American Legion and was active at Post 2 and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8541.

He was a NASCAR/NHRA enthusiast and an avid truck driver who spent his post-military career driving for Diamond Metal Products, Drury Southwest, Quality Beverage, and Block Distributing (now known as Republic Distributing) in San Antonio. He loved to travel and spend time with family and friends.

Chuck was a devoted husband and father and a doting “Poppy.” His favorite times were spent making others smile. To cherish his loving memory, he is survived by Charlene Jo Cummings, his wife of 44 years; his Uncle Carmen (Pat) Cunningham of Plant City, FL, Aunt Irene Stanley of Madisonville, KY, his brother Nathanael (Donna) Cummings of San Antonio, sons Charles (Michelle) of Forest Hill, MD, James (Christy), Michael (Jessica), and Scott all of San Antonio, and daughters Charlene Turner of La Follette, TN, and Dana (Trip) Bechtel of Marion. He will always be fondly remembered by his 12 grandchildren: Tony [Stephanie], Matthew, Brittany, Amber, Emily, Ashley, Andrew, Lacey, A.J., Taylor, Anna, and Carly. He is also survived by three great grandchildren Carmen, Gavin, and Jace, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to visitation on Tuesday, January 13th, 2015, 5 pm to 9 pm and a memorial service will convene at 7:00 pm at Sunset Funeral Home, 1701 Austin Highway, San Antonio. A graveside service with full military honors will be held Wednesday morning at 9:15 am, January 15th, 2014, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations in his memory to the American Heart Association at https://donatenow.heart.org. Condolences may be offered at www.sunsetfuneralhomesa.com.