I held Skip in high regard as a Dustoff, and later Master Aviator.  He was my platoon leader in Vietnam, and was great to fly with, always professional, and courageous.  I miss him, too.

Skip taught me more about flying dustoff in one mission then nine months of flight school, probably saved more lives then he could have ever realized! Dustoff20

Sending out sympathy  and condolences to Skip's family.  I am another one of those that sat behind Skip flying DUSTOFF in Vietnam. I never saw Skip get overly excitted about anything.  He was always calm and soft spoken.  He was a great leader.  My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. RIP my friend.

Skip was my best friend and roommate (as platoon leaders) in Vietnam with the 45th Medical Company (Air Ambulance).  We kept in contact after Vietnam by phone and e-mail and got to meet at our 45th's first reunion in 2005, which Skip helped organize in Atlanta.  Skip never changed.  He was always a soft-spoken, loyal, honest & brave leader of men who was dedicated to his family.  He was so happy his children lived close by.  I will miss this true gentleman very much.  RIP Dustoff 36.

Gary Calhoun 
Dostoff 16

Our sincerest condolences to the Champion family.  I sat directly behind 'Skip' for about a year in a DUSTOFF helicopter in Vietnam.  Literally thousands of Vietnam Veterans are alive today because of his courage and skills during that tour.  He personally saved me on one mission.  Daily thoughts and prayers for this 'unsung hero' will continue forever.  It was a true honor and priviledge to know and work with 'spark plug' as he was affectionately known by the GIB.

   Patricia, please accept our sympathy for the loss of your son Charles.  Just by reading the "Guest Book" entries revealed to us how his many friends depicted him as intelligent, wonderful and a fine man.  

   May God bless you and his family at this time and in the days ahead.

   Tom and Mary Marie Richard

   Alpharetta, Ga.

I will never forget Skip.  Simply put, he was a great guy in every respect...a true gentleman, great leader and fellow aviator.  My sincere condolences to his family.

Mike Mokri

My heartfelt condolences to the Champion family at this time.

Skip was a man that I admired from the military to the corporate world. He was not only my boss but my mentor and I will miss him very deeply.

Ernest

Trish and Family

I had the great honor to work for Skip at the FORSCOM Surgeon's Office in the early 1990s. You could always go to Skip with a problem, and he had a solution for you. He will be solely missed by all that had the pleasure to know him in the Army.

Ed Arominski

I had the pleasure of working with Skip on numerous occasions during my military career, the last time was during Desert Storm at FORSCOM HQ in Atlanta.  After retirement Skip and I were friendly competitors on several contracts with the Surgeon Generals Office.  Skip was an officer and a gentleman, and I count myself lucky for having known him.  My deepest sympathy to the Champion family for their loss.

Skip was a true military hero and a great American. He was an excellent listener who cared for others. He will be missed.
Ted Taylor

To Trish, and the extended Champion Family:
My heartfelt condolences and prayers are with you.
Skip epitomized the truly professional officer and gentleman, in every regard. I greatly admired and respected him for his abilities, character and integrity, and I consider him to have been one of the finest and warmest persons I ever met. It was a privilege and honor to have worked with him while in the Service, and even moreso during our years at Eagle Group. 
May God bless and comfort you, both now and in the days to come, and may all the cherished memories of Skip continue to burn brightly in your hearts.
Rest in Peace, my friend. You have fought the good fight for the right, and you deserve your billet in Heaven.

Skip joined our class at Pickens High in the 10th grade.  He was always fun to be around and became a natural leader of our class being class president in 1962.  He was looking forward to planning and attending our 50th class reunion next year and he will be greatly missed by all. Prayers to Trish and family.

Skip and I had been friends for some 60 years.  His grand parents lived in the same town as I did, Tate, Ga, and he would come and visit them every summer.  We became friends right away. Skip's dad was in the Navy at the time and we only saw each other in the summer time until his father retired and they moved back to Tate when Skip was in the 10th grade in school.  We have remained friends for all these years although we have not been in touch the last few years like we were in our younger years. As has been mentioned already by another long time friend, I will always remember cruising around in his parent's VW bug.  My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Rest In Peace....my good friend.

Ms. Trish and Family,
My sincerest condolences go out to you.
Skip was the coolest, calmest and most even –tempered
person I had ever had the pleasure to work with.  If you had the “Skipper” in your corner,
then everything was alright.   
I hope you all can find peace in the days ahead. Martha Alford

Jon, so sorry about the loss of your dad. My sincere condolences to you and your family!

Sorry for your lost ... Skip will be missed ... I pray that the family will be comforted with his memories and the Holy Spirit.  Blessings !!!

Pat and family, 
 Our deepest sympathy to you and your families.  We first met Skip in Germany in 1972 when we both were detachment commanders.  Through the years we worked together at Ft Sam Combat Developments, in the Pentagon, and later with Eagle Group when I was in the UAE.  To say the least Skip was a great guy to work with,always bringing calm to any situation and always a level head.  He will be missed by all of us who had the opporunilty to work with him. 
 Bill & Nelda Stahl, Dothan Alabama

I had the honor of working with Skip for a while following his retirement from the Army.  Everything about him, from his family life to his work life -- and certainly his Army life -- was marked by the highest standards and sheer excellence.  I salute my old comrade-in-arms, and offer his family my heartfelt condolences.

John B. Williams (and Linda Williams)
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Retired)

Looking back on our years at Pickens County High I realize just how special a person Skip was, even then.  It was rare in those days in high school for a boy to be a truly nice boy, politie, kind, generous, one who takes his studies seriously and not as something to ridicule, and still be very popular.  But Skip pulled that off just by being himself, and in fact, became a leader among us.  As with too many of my old friends, our individual lives took us in different directions and became full and busy, and we only stayed in touch intermittently over the years.  I will always remember that as ill as he was he sent me a Happy Birthday message in late July this year on Facebook.  That gesture alone says a lot about the kind of person Skip was. I am deeply saddened to know he won't be there anymore but count myself lucky to have known him as a friend for over 50 years.  My heart goes out to the family.

The Pickens Co. high school class of 1962 will really miss our wonderful President and friend.Some of us plan to be at the service and hope to she Tricia and family.They are allin our prayers.

Although I have not had the privilege of seeing Skip or spending much time with him since our High School days, some of the fondest memories of my teenage years are those spent with Skip. As "Tate" boys, living only a couple of miles away from each other, we had to stick together & defend our territory against that "Jasper" crowd. We didn't realize it then but those were some of the best times of our lives. We spent hundreds of hours riding around in Skip's Volkswagen Bug (he was one of the few kids that had access to a car & gas money back in those days)  listening to Dick Biondi on WLS Radio out of Chicago for hours on end; we were out in the rain, snow no matter what. Skip was a great friend & I don't remember ever having any disagreement with him. My only regret is that we didn't get to spend more time together in our adult years. Seems as if we were always living on opposite ends of the country. Skip will be greatly missed.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
Joe Turner PHS '62

The Champion family, my heart is sad at this time in the loss of a wonderful person.  I met Skip in August of 2004 at Eagle Group International.  We had lots of laughs together.  He never did show me his boat shoes, Lol!! Skip will be truly missed, but a wonderful "Angel" has been received in heaven.  You all will forever be in my prayers.

Skip was a man with veracity that I held in high regards.  I have never met a person like Skip and I am elated that I had the opportunity to have known him.  He will be greatly missed.

I was so saddened to hear about Skip.  We started as freshmen in Bravo Company in the same platoon.  One thing that really stands out about that year was that every morning, we could count on Skip to be playing "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  It always got all of us going first thing in the morning as we got rooms, hallways, and latrines squared away for the day.  He was my friend and I will miss him.  God Bless each of you!

Roddy Lane NGC '66

Skip was a really sharp guy .We were Platoon Sergeants together in Charlie Co
1964-65. 

I'm sorry --we'll all miss him .

Paul Lockard  NGC '66

OBITUARY

Charles "Skip" H. Champion Jr.

February 17, 1944 – November 1, 2011

Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home and Memorial Park

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