Charles Hilgenfeldt

Charles “Charlie” Hilgenfeldt passed away peacefully on November 28, 2021 at his residence in Lake Mary, Florida. Born to Emil and Julia Hilgenfeldt in New York on August 9, 1923, he was the oldest of three children. A husband to his beloved Rose for 67-wonderful years, he is survived by his three sons, Charlie (Linda), Keith (Denise) and Roy (Laura), his six grandchildren, (Keith Jr., Jennifer, Meghan, Kristin, Alicia and Brad), and his six great-grandchildren (Aidan, Riley, Mason, Julia, Madison Rose and Hudson).

He shared a rewarding life with Rose and they enjoyed travel, bowling, playing cards and time spent with their grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends. They also loved to dance and had taken ballroom lessons together. They could be seen dancing the night away at each of their granddaughter’s weddings. He had met Rose in high school, when she working at an ice cream shop and they immediately started dating.

A member of the greatest generation, his courtship of Rose was put on hold when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Airforce during WW II. He served as a radio technician, flying fueling missions throughout the war in an area known to Allied pilots as “The Hump”. This was an extremely dangerous area of the Himalayas to fly over and was made even more difficult by the absence of radio navigation aids and a dearth of information about the weather. In one instance, his plane was shot down, resulting in the loss of roughly half of his fellow crew members. He served admirably, earning multiple medals including the “Distinguished Flying Cross” (twice honored) and the “Air Medal” while flying on B-24 Liberators.

Returning from the war, Charlie married Rose and they had their first two sons while living in New York. They relocated to South Florida in the late 1950’s, where their third son was born. Charlie went to work for the US Postal Service, eventually serving as their Human Resource manager in Fort Lauderdale Florida. As a child of the Great Depression, he grew up in one of the most challenging times in our nation’s history and knew what it was like to do without. His desire was always for his descendants to achieve a better and an even more rewarding life than his own.

He coached baseball for his two oldest sons and was always there for his family. He brought his sons up to live good, disciplined lives, instilling a strong work ethic in each of them. His grandchildren will remember the Christmas gatherings, Friday night sleepovers with their cousins and their many visits throughout the years with card games, old stories and looking at photo albums.

Charlie was blessed with a full life. To those who knew him, he and Rose were inseparable. When Rose passed away, a big part of him did, as well. So, on November 28th when Charlie went to be with the Lord, one of his granddaughters said it best that “he is right where he wants to be, reunited with his beloved Rose”. He will be missed.