Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

March 15, 2024

BEECH ISLAND, SC – With Charles Gordon, you were either a friend or a stranger he hadn’t met yet. He engaged everyone in conversation, from the waiter at the restaurant to the checkout kid at the grocery. He wanted to know about you. He didn’t know from email or text. He preferred connecting with people in person or by phone. A landline.

Col. Charles E. Gordon Sr., who loved his family and God, served his country and with three friends traveled to The Masters every April for 58 years, died on March 15 at home after a long illness. He was 89.

Charles was born and raised in Charlotte, the oldest of Lois and Grier Gordon’s three children. After graduating from West Mecklenburg High School, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from N.C. State University in 1956.

A licensed engineer, his career included a stint as North Carolina’s Director of the Division of State Property and Construction under Jim Hunt. Among his achievements: Overseeing renovations of Central Prison in Raleigh. The largest portion of his career was spent as a design engineer with Southern Engineering in Charlotte. His active time in the Army included working as an engineer at Camp Leroy Johnson in New Orleans. While in the Army Reserves, he served in the Chief of Engineers office in the Pentagon.  Such was his energy, along the way he earned his real estate broker’s license.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara Gordon. They met at a function at Commonwealth Baptist Church in Charlotte, went for coffee and pie and the rest is history. They were married on Feb. 13, 1960. They spent 64 years together, until it ended with her kiss on his forehead. He is also survived by their son, Charles “Ed” Gordon Jr., and his wife, Meredith, of Beech Island, S.C.; two grandchildren, James Foster and Melissa Rowell and her husband, Edmund; two great-grandchildren, Braylon and Wisteria Rowell; and his sister, Jann Duval, and her husband, Dennis, of Charlotte.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Chester Gordon.

A service to celebrate his life will be at 1 p.m. Monday, March 25, in the chapel at Calvary Church, 5801 Pineville-Matthews Road, Charlotte. Visitation will be at noon at the church.  Interment will follow in Sharon Memorial Park with full military honors.

When Charles and Barbara moved in with their son and his family in Beech Island, S.C. (near Aiken) for health reasons, Charles’ new roomies learned a key detail that made the arrangement go smoothy. Charles liked three squares a day, each at a prescribed time. The family laughed as they shared that they named it “Colonel Time.”

Charles cherished friendships, the longer the better. That includes the three college buddies with whom he attended The Masters for all those years. How they loved watching the likes of Palmer and Nicklaus, then cutting up until the next round teed off. One April, he finished up an Army reserve meeting, hopped into the back of the car and changed into civilian clothes while Barbara rushed him to the airport for his flight to Augusta, Ga. They told a magazine writer – yes, they earned their 15 minutes of fame – it was all about history, friendship and the return of golf each Spring.

Nothing is forever. Charles and Keith Bowman, the last surviving members of the quartet, died within 24 hours of one another.

The family is grateful to the team from Agape Hospice for their care and kindness. A gift in Charles’ memory can be made to Agape Hospice, 204 Silver Bluff Road, Aiken, S.C. 29803 or www.sc.agapecaregroup.com.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28204 (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.