Charles Linwood Rudder

Charles was born in Roxboro, NC, on December 20, 1948. He graduated from Person High School and continued on to receive a degree in Textile Technology from NC State University.

Charles worked in cabinet installation for much of his career, often traveling to hurricane-affected cities in Florida and on the coast of the Carolinas to help people rebuild. In the 1970s, he followed his passion of woodworking and began creating custom furniture pieces, many of which still grace the homes of family and friends. He went on to open a storefront under the name Woodshed, a casual living furniture shop at South Hills Mall in Cary, NC, which he ran for several years.

When Charles was not working in his shop or in his yard, he loved to spend as much time as he could at the house he built with his father on Hyco Lake in Roxboro. There he taught the younger members of his family how to slalom water ski. When those kids grew up, they were impressed that Charles was still “riding the lake” well into his 50s. When he was not waterskiing, he passed the time sitting on the porch or the dock, enjoying the peaceful quiet under the shade of the trees that grow right down to the lake.

Charles is survived by his son Charles Linwood Rudder, Jr., his son’s mother, Margie Lee, his daughter-in-law Carla Rudder, grandchildren Violet and Hazel Rudder, sisters Cathy Long, and Sandra Chambers, brother-in-law Mickey Chambers, nephews Dustin Long, Brett Chambers and his spouse Brooke Chambers, Chris Chambers, David Chambers and his spouse Missy Chambers, and their children Noah and Micah Chambers, his niece Meranda Wolfe and her husband Jason Wolfe, and other family and friends.

Charles is preceded in death by his parents, Hubert and Frances Rudder, and his brother-in-law, Steve Long.

The celebration of life will be held at Charles’s happy place, the family lake house, on Sunday, April 16, 2023. His nephew, David Chambers, will be officiating. Per Charles’s wishes, his ashes will “ride the lake,” and a tree will be planted by the lake in his honor.

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