Brooks William Charlton Sr.

Brooks William Charlton, Sr., 65, of Dayton, OH passed away on September 19, 2026. Brooks was born on February 18, 1961 to James and Mary June Charlton in Dayton, OH. He is preceded in death by mother Mary June Charlton and sister Rebecca Ferrer.

He is survived by his wife Christie, their children Brooks Jr. (Rachel) and Blake, his father James Charlton, and his siblings Bob (Cindy) Charlton and Roberta (Kurt) Kleinow. He would tell anyone his most treasured moments in life involved his boys and watching them grow into the fine young men they are today. They were his pride and joy. Beyond being their dad, Brooks played many roles in their lives, including coaching Brooks Jr. and Blake in baseball, basketball, and soccer for many years. He was also a passionate fishing guide, serving as their captain on shore or out on the water—whether they were looking to catch muskie or catfish in the backyard pond of their childhood home, searching for sharks in the Pacific Ocean, or fly-fishing in the Colorado mountains. Brooks also played the role of family financial advisor and expert stock investor for many years.

Brooks was a graduate of Fairmont East and Ohio University—where he joined the Army ROTC program. In 1981 he joined the Ohio Army National Guard where he ultimately served as an Officer and became a blackhawk helicopter pilot. Flying helicopters was a dream come true, and in the sky is where he felt the most free. Brooks proudly served his country for 9 years and accompanied many passengers on board during his service, including former Ohio Governor Richard Celeste.

In addition to his love for his family and country, he loved supporting his favorite sports teams—the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, Ohio State football, and UD Flyers basketball. He was also a passionate dog lover, opening his home and heart to a number of canines over the years, including Frosty, Chelsey, Brandi, Daphne, Hunter, Charlie, and Jack. He had an enduring love for some of the finer things in life, including chocolate milkshakes, extra condiments and sauces, payday candy bars, donuts, snoopy, and classic Rock and Roll music. Brooks was a storyteller at heart, and made sure to share his life’s stories to friends, family, and strangers alike. Topics of his tales ranged from his one eyed cat, delivering newspapers and pretzels door-to-door from K&R Pretzel Bakery starting at 4am at age 8, being shot at in his helicopter by a chicken farmer, playing basketball growing up with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls teammate John Paxson, or even running Brooks Jr. and Blake in each of his arms through hurricane rain at the Magic Kingdom. Brooks will be missed dearly by his family, friends, and his puppy Jack.

A visitation will be held on Saturday October 17, 2026 from 3:00 PM -6:00 PM at Tobias Funeral Home - Far Hills Chapel, 5471 Far Hills Ave., Dayton, Ohio 45429. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in his honor to Honor Flight Columbus or The Headstrong Project.