He was born in Torbeck, a town on the southern coast of Haïti to Yvanne Leopold and Clovis Robert Charlot, and was the loving brother to four younger sisters: Nelly, Nedgé, Aglaé and Clotilde. As the adored older brother, his sisters fought for his attention and, forever the diplomat, he never let any one of them feel they were favored over the other. He was the youngest male cousin and was accompanied in mischief and fiercely protected by his older cousins, Anthony, Pascal and Fritz.
Charles-Auguste came to the United States in 1957 where he lived with his aunt, Hilda “Tantante” Charlot Dartiguenave, and his uncle, Lys Dartiguenave in Washington, DC, where he joined his sister Nelly and cousin Myrtha. Their home at 5408 Colorado Avenue, NW was “the famous house” for the Haitian diaspora.
He attended Hampton Institute (now University); afterwards he enlisted in the United States Army in 1961. He completed his basic training in Fort Benning, GA, where he encountered racial discrimination for the first time in his life. His commanding officer suggested that he ask for a foreign post, which he was granted in 1962. He served as a Medical Corpsman in Stuttgart, Germany where he delivered both his first and only baby in the back of an ambulance, a story he was always proud to share, always saying, “the baby came quickly”. He served in the Army Reserves from 1963 to 1967; and was honorably discharged as a Private First Class on July 30, 1967 receiving a Good Conduct Medal First Award.
In September 1961, he met his beloved Solange Térameau through his cousin Carmelle “Ti Carm” Liautaud. They started dating in 1963 and married in Washington, DC on March 20, 1965. It was a snowy day which he always said was good luck. They had three children and two grandchildren and his pride in their accomplishments, no matter how large or small, was boundless.
As a Senior Design Draftsman by trade he worked in the technology field for companies such as Potomac Research Incorporated (PRI), Electronic Data Systems (EDS), GTE and AT&T. During his tenures at both EDS and GTE, he worked on numerous federal government contracts in which he was highly sought after.
Charles-Auguste was a proud, principled and passionate man. His love for others was limitless and he always welcomed people with open arms. He counseled and offered advice to many family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. His children affectionately nicknamed him “The Lecturer” since they were always on the receiving end of his lengthy discourses.
An avid lover of sports, being from Haïti soccer was his favorite, often getting up in the wee hours of the morning to watch World Cup soccer matches. He coached all three of his children’s soccer teams and had numerous winning seasons. It was widely known that Charles-Auguste was a huge Washington Redskins fan. He learned about American football by watching games religiously every Sunday with his children. He was always happy when the Skins won, but never passed up an opportunity to call them the “Dead Skins” when they lost, although he always remained a faithful fan.
He loved music and his favorites were as varied as the classical masters Beethoven and Handel to Haitian bands, Jazz des Jeunes and Tabou Combo. He also loved dancing, and was often the first person on the dance floor and the last to leave at the “Bals” (dance parties) he and a group of friends regularly hosted. It was at these parties, and the legendary annual July 4th picnics he and Solange hosted, where he was the epitome of the gracious and exuberant host, welcoming friends, family and neighbors of all ages.
Charles-Auguste was a long standing and well-respected member of the Haitian community, and Haiti was always in his heart and never far from his thoughts. In fact, in 1986, he created the Dollar March organization which raised money for the underprivileged children at the School of Saint Anne in La Saline, Haiti.
Charles-Auguste is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Solange Charlot (née Térameau); his children, Joëlle M. H. Charlot Duffy (James J. Duffy, Esq.), Réginald C. Charlot (Dr. Tucker Woods, DO) and Erik C.R. Charlot; his grandchildren, Eamonn C. Duffy and Luke F. Duffy; his sisters Nelly Tisserant, Nedgé Brierre, Dr. Aglaé Charlot, and Clotilde Charlot; his first cousins, Myrtha Charlot and Marie Edith Charlot; his godson Audi Charlot; his nieces and nephew Karina M. Castaneda, Jose Ramirez Dorce, Christèle S. Brierre Craan, I. Anaïse Manuel and Elodie Manuel; and his grand-nieces and grand-nephew, Cooper A. Marshall, Chloe Craan, Khaim Craan, Lia N. Martino and Lily G. Wojewodzki.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Friday, October 30th at 11am at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church. Due to the Church’s COVID-19 protocols, capacity will be limited to the immediate family. The Funeral Mass will be live streamed through this link www.StJohnsMass.org on the St. John’s website.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Feed the Children in the name of Charles-Auguste Charlot https://secure.feedthechildren.org/site/Donation2?df_id=1400&mfc_pref=T&1400.donation=form1
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