Charles Whispell

We celebrate the life and mourn the loss of Charles Raymond Whispell. Charlie was born in Norwich, New York on May 23, 1941, to Eva Mae Dyle Whispell Smith and Arthur Charles Smith. He was also loved and cared for by Laura “Nanny” Dean and her family as he grew up. Charlie passed away on April 4, 2023, in Sun City, Arizona. As the youngest child, he idealized his late brothers, Daniel and Frederick Whispell, and is survived by his sister Hazel Thomas of California. Charlie cherished the memories of the shenanigans and laughter he and his siblings shared.

Charlie was married and devoted to his “Sweetheart” Carol Elaine Smith Whispell for 55+ years. Together they proudly raised three daughters and were thrilled to add grandchildren and great-grandchildren to their family. Charlie and Carol treasured family traditions and passed on the importance of making memories. They were fortunate to travel and take trips to Florida, South Carolina, New York City, the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and Arizona where they ultimately retired. They lived a special love story and we can only imagine the celebration and dancing when “Sweetheart” and “Dear” were reunited.

Charlie grew up in Norwich and graduated from Norwich High School in 1959 where he formed lifelong friendships with “The Syndicate” crew of friends. These buddies and their spouses regularly stayed in touch over the years and across many miles. Even from Arizona, Charlie kept track of things at “home” in Norwich, still subscribing to The Evening Sun, making phone calls to check in on friends, regularly asking for updates about people he knew, or inquiring about the latest events or projects happening in town.

He attended Broome Community College where he took classes in business administration. Knowing how valuable education was, he was involved with bringing a branch of SUNY Morrisville to Norwich so that college could be made more available to people within the local community. With his business knowledge, work ethic, and people skills, he was a natural fit for positions in the Human Resources field for his entire career. He served as the Assistant Personnel Manager for General Laboratory Associates (GLA) in Norwich and later became the Vice President of Human Resources at the Norwich Shoe Company where he worked for over twenty years. Following that, he worked as the Director of Human Resources at the Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich, NY, and at the Little Falls Hospital in Little Falls, NY.

“Community” was important to Charlie so he happily volunteered his time by participating on the Boards of agencies such as The Broad Street United Methodist Church, The Chenango United Way, Indian Hills Girl Scout Council, and The City of Norwich Planning Board. He was a longtime member and a Past President of both The Norwich Rotary Club and The Norwich YMCA.

During his downtime, Charlie looked forward to activities that included time with friends and/or family, a good meal, a beverage of choice, laughter, and perhaps a campfire or card game. Family camping trips and having seasonal campsites gave Charlie great pleasure as he enjoyed the change in scenery and time with his campground family. The years of monthly poker games with friends in Norwich provided him with many laughs and fond memories, making him a winner no matter the outcome of the card games.

Charlie enjoyed following sports and was a lifelong fan of the NY Yankees and the NY Giants. Charlie and Carol had season tickets for Syracuse University Football games, regularly attended SU Basketball games, and were faithful fans of the Orange. After moving to Arizona, he became a fan of even more sports teams as he followed and cheered on teams from the Phoenix area.

In recent years life threw many challenges and limitations at Charlie. He had multiple physical health struggles, was unable to leave his home, lost the love of his life, and ultimately needed to be cared for outside of his home. He still felt fortunate that mentally he was sharp and could keep tabs on all of the people who were important to him. When Charlie’s health conditions ended his ability to travel and see friends in person, he so appreciated that longtime friends continued to stay in contact with him and included him in special events through phone calls, cards, and photos. No matter the frustrations or obstacles, he somehow found a way to smile, remain positive, and could always seem to find little things to appreciate such as enjoying something good to eat, a phone call to connect with someone, help from a compassionate caregiver, or being able to smile at the sunshine or animals outside his window. This example was a powerful lesson for all who knew Charlie Whispell and his family hopes that anyone who knew him will be able to learn and follow his example.

Charles R. Whispell leaves behind a legacy of love to his daughters Deborah Susan Roberts (James Roberts) of Glendale, AZ, Christy Whispell Abrams of Glendale, AZ, and Jennifer Whispell Ford (Kenneth Behn Jr.) of Norwich, NY; his grandchildren Brittany (Torrey) Collins, Allyson Roberts, Taylor Ford, Logan Ford, and Norah Abrams; and great-grandchildren Hunter and Brody Crewdson, and Aubrey and Ryleigh Collins. He is also survived by sisters-in-law Marion Whispell and Sandra Goodney, brother-in-law Robert Smith, and several nieces and nephews. He was pre-deceased by his brother-in-law and friend John Goodney.

Please join the family in honoring Charlie’s life on Friday, July 21, 2023, at the Broad Street United Methodist Church in Norwich. Calling hours will be from 11:00 AM until the memorial service at 12:00 noon. A private burial service will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery. A luncheon and gathering will be held following the services.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Norwich YMCA or the Broad Street United Methodist Church Steeple Fund.