LTC (US Army, Retired) Charles T. Buggs, of Jacksonville, FL., Lake Worth, FL, and McLean, VA passed away on Friday, April 19th, 2019, in Sanford, FL. A devoted husband, father, grandfather and brother, Charles is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Georgia Saylor Buggs; daughters, Adrienne Buggs Carlisle; Keira Buggs Jackson; son-in law, Barry Carlisle; sisters Karen B. Jenkins and Barbara B. Hughley; brother Clifford Buggs; grandchildren, Olivia, Sophia, Julia, and Jordan; sisters-in-law, Gwendolyn Alexis, Enith Saylor Pazant, Madie Berry, Violet Saylor, JoAnn Buggs, Miriam Buggs and Betty Buggs; brothers-in-law, Godfrey Jenkins and John Berry; and a host of nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, great-grand nieces, great-grand nephews, cousins, other relatives, friends and associates. Charles was preceded in death by his parents, Andrew Joseph Buggs, Sr. and Marie Buggs; his sisters, Sandra Buggs Patterson and June Marie Buggs-Davis; his brothers, Andrew Joseph Buggs, Jr., and Harrell Buggs; and his granddaughter, Jillian Jackson.
Charles was born to Andrew Joseph Buggs, Sr., and Marie Johnson Buggs on April 26th, 1939 in Glimpse of Glory, Saint Augustine, FL. He was the third of eight children. When Charles turned 2, the family moved to Jacksonville, FL, which Charles always considered home. Charles graduated from New Stanton Senior High School in 1957. While there he played trumpet in the band and was elected as Captain of the Band during his senior year. Many years later, Charles and his classmates from New Stanton High School formed a local alumni group in the Washington, D.C. area and continued to meet regularly over the years.
After high school, Charles attended Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, FL. During his time at FAMU, Charles participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), played trumpet with FAMU’s “Marching 100” band, and joined the brotherhood of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He graduated from FAMU in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education. Following graduation, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army.
Charles met Georgia, his life mate, and the love of his life while they were both students at FAMU. While he was pledging Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Charles’ big brothers told him to get down on bended knee, in front of the student union, and recite the poem, “Of Love” from the Prophet Kahlil Gibran to Georgia. This so impressed Georgia that they began dating. Charles and Georgia united in Holy matrimony on August 24, 1963. From this union was born the joy of their lives, Adrienne Marie, and Keira Charlene.
Charles served his country proudly as an officer in the United States Army. He was a decorated Vietnam veteran and served other tours of duty in the United States, Korea and Germany where he also made many lifelong friendships. During his 20 years of service, Charles attended several military trainings and earned his Master’s degree from San Francisco State University. Following his retirement from the military, Charles continued public service as a senior management analyst at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). He retired from the FDIC in 2002 and then embarked on a new career as a Financial Advisor with Primerica, Inc.
Charles also believed in serving the global community. During his tour in Vietnam, Charles worked with a local pastor to organize a church choir made up of Vietnamese singers. In 2006, while on vacation in Ghana, Charles, Georgia and sister-in law Gwendolyn visited a small village called Ponkrom that had no school for its children to attend. Charles, Georgia and Gwendolyn pooled their resources to have a school built in the village. The school opened in 2008 and has since become part of the formal Ghana Educational System. Ponkrom village school graduated it first class of 6th grade students in 2017. Affectionately known as the “Village Father,” Charles’ efforts will continue to have a lasting impact on the lives of many in the village.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make donations to the Alzheimer’s Association National Capital Area Chapter in Charles’ memory. Information on donating may be obtained on their website at https://alz.org/nca .
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