Charles "Beau" Christy

quiet of his home in Trussville, Alabama.

Beau was born on April 8, 1940, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Charles Linden Christy, Sr., and

Brossie Eunice (Watson) Christy of Bristol, Virginia, the youngest of five siblings. Beau was

known for his devotion to family and friends, infectious smile and silly antics, and a generously

loving spirit exhibited in part by his humongous bear hugs.

His older sister, Mary Sue, named him after the character Gary Cooper played in the 1939 film

Beau Geste. He was known forever as “Beau” to everyone except for his next-door neighbor,

Thelma Holcomb, who called him “Charles.”

Beau attended Barrett Elementary School and Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Alabama.

He later attended Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Auburn University,

studying Aeronautical Engineering. However, he decided to change his course of study. After

meeting Edna in 1962, he studied Biblical Studies at Birmingham-Southern College. Beau and

Edna eloped and married in Muncie, Indiana, on October 16, 1964 because her folks did not

quite yet approve of Beau. That opinion changed dramatically after a short time.

Beau is survived by his wife of 59 years, Edna Marie (Wakefield) Christy. His daughter, Jill

Christy, and beloved adult grandchildren Jerica Bell (Jason Durham) and great-grandson

Bernard Hartley Durham; Caleb Bell, great-granddaughter Sybil Bell; and Sara Bell, all of

Chattanooga, TN. His son, Micah Christy, and the daughter-in-law he cherished, Jennifer

Braswell Christy.

Beau is survived by his older sister, Alys Jane (Christy) Atkerson, and his sister-in-law, Nancy

Spann Christy. He was loved and adored as “The Best Uncle Ever” by his nieces and nephews,

Christy (Graham) Henderson and Dale Graham, Carol Christy McKissack, Kay Christy Cordes,

Candy Christy Hayes, and Kim Christy Chaney, Rick, Scott, and Chris Atkerson, and Foster and

Mark Christy. There are over 20 great nieces and nephews who also adored him. A comforting

host of church family and friends surround The Christy Family at this time.

Beau began work at Southern Research and, later, Rust Engineering in Birmingham, where he

worked on various projects with the Apollo space missions, Fanta Orange Drinks, and other

chemical compounds that would impact millions of lives in the future and still today. He worked

with Bush Engineering as a draftsman, where he later began his career in sales, which led to

the creation of his own consulting company many years later. Some parts of his life never

touched, yet he remained unchanged as he walked through each sphere of his adventurous life.

If you knew Beau at Rust Engineering, you knew Beau at Georgia Pacific and WestRock. And if

you knew him at church, you also knew him at the hunting club, on the dove field, and in his

vegetable garden.

Beau accidentally became the minister in Sugar Creek, Alabama, in 1962 and remained

devoted to that second family for eighteen years. Later in life, he also worked a time to Shooting

Creek, North Carolina, driving each weekend to meet with the church. He officiated at many

weddings for loved ones and even reunited some couples. He baptized various loved ones,

friends, and family. In the past 15 years, he was honored to preside over the funerals of various

church members and friends. At Edwards Lake Church of Christ, he was a Deacon and taught

Bible classes. He helped other ministers with their mission work, book writing, and their family’s

support.

After working in the pulp and paper industry for over 35 years, Beau began consulting services

to improve the production efficiency of wood pulp for large paper manufacturers such as

Georgia Pacific, Kimberly Clark, International Paper, WestRock, Bowater, and many smaller

recycle and paper mills as well. This work continued for a total of 52 years until his retirement in

2021. His expertise and knowledge of the pulp and paper process were well-known in the

United States, Canada, South America, and Singapore. Beau’s mission in this work was to

teach operations managers how to produce uniform wood chips of the correct size and shape

so that pulp yield was maximized for the specific process and equipment they operate. The

result was the minimum waste of a valuable resource and nothing excited him more than being

able to show them their results through statistical, validated methods. The results create higher

production yield from each tree planted in a managed forest and reduces pressure on virgin

forests. As reported by various professional sources, Beau’s keen mind and exceptional

understanding of the pulp and paper processes established him as the one professional who

“would take more knowledge to his grave than was left behind in the industry.” In keeping with

this love of wood, Beau was also an excellent craftsman and carpenter, completely building out

the basement of his home, including a dark room, office, and shop. Outdoors, he also built a

gazebo with a swing and stone walkway, a barn, a chicken coop, several dog houses, and an

“outhouse” for a water pump from the creek.

A Celebration of Beau’s Life will begin with Visitation on Thursday, January 4th, from 5:00 to

7:00 pm and continue with a remembrance held on Friday, January 5th, at 1:00 pm at Ridout’s

Trussville Chapel at 1500 Gadsden Highway, Birmingham, Alabama 35235, followed by burial

adjacent to his mother and father at Ridout’s Forest Hill Cemetery, 431 60th Street North,

Birmingham, Alabama 35212.