Charles Joseph Herbert

Charles (Chuck) Joseph Herbert was born on October 4, 1931 in Capitol Heights, Prince George's County, Maryland to Charles Walter Herbert, Jr. and Hilda Bradley Meynell. He had two older sisters, Shirley (deceased) and Dorothy (deceased), and two younger sisters, Rosalie and Barbara (deceased). He was affectionately called Buddy by his family and Uncle Buddy by his nieces and nephews. He graduated from Bladensburg High School in Maryland in June 1950 and in November 1951 enlisted in the U.S. Army after having worked as a meat cutter in a Safeway store in northeast Washington, D.C. It was when he worked at the Safeway that he met Barbara in June of 1951. They were united in marriage on July 1952 at Christ Lutheran in northwest Washington, D.C. and recently celebrated 62 years together in 2014. He graduated from the Signal Corp Fixed Station Radio Repair Course and later was assigned to the Army Security Agency Headquarters European Command in Frankfurt, Germany, being promoted to Sergeant prior to his release from active duty on November 11, 1954 but, still required to be in standby reserve for five more years. On November 25, 1959 he received his Honorable Discharge from the Army of the United States. He returned to working at the Safeway store where he previously had worked and in early 1956 went to work as a helper at J. E. Hurley Machine and Boiler Works, located in S.E. Washington and in the spring of 1958 began a four year apprenticeship to become a boilermaker there. After working at Hurley's for nine years he accepted a position with the federal government as an operating engineer in 1964 working at the Pentagon, Airport Field Office, Temporary Building 7 on the grounds of National Airport, the Torpedo Plant building in Alexandria, VA, AFTAC building on Telegraph Road, State Department, Forrestall Building and Commerce Field Office Building. December 31, 1993 was officially his last day of work, retiring from government service after 30 years. When he retired in 1993 he was one of seven General Foremen in the Metropolitan Area and received a Service Award from the United States General Services Administration in recognition of 30 years of service in the Government of the United States. Chuck and Barbara have two wonderful children — Chuck, Jr., born in June 1957, and Sharon (Shari), born in September 1961. She married Martin Rexroad in December 1984. They are also blessed with 3 wonderful grandchildren — Matthew, Michael and Christine — Martin and Shari's children, of whom they are so proud. He and Barbara have been members of St. John's since 1958, having worshipped in the Franconia Elementary School before our first church (now the Fellowship Hall) was built. Chuck had served St. John's many years as a dedicated usher captain, (team 6), an Institutional Representative for Boy Scout Troop 1107 and as an Eucharistic Minister with Barbara for nearly 14 years. He also had helped with maintenance around the church whenever needed. He was a member of the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution. Among the things he enjoyed were genealogy, camping, working with model trains, watching football, NASCAR racing and reading, particularly historical books. He and Barbara have traveled extensively, both in the states and abroad. Favorite trips included a visit to the Holy Lands, driving to Alaska, exploring Australia and New Zealand and a Mediterranean trip/cruise to Italy, Ephesus, Greece and the Greek Isles. On December 31, 2014 after a long battle with lung cancer, he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family who sang "Jesus Loves Me" to him. Relatives and friends may call at Jefferson Funeral Chapel, 5755 Castlewellan Dr., Alexandria, VA on Wednesday, January 7, from 2-4PM and 6-8PM. A funeral will be held at St. John's Lutheran Church, 5952 Franconia Rd., Alexandria, VA Thursday, January 8 at 11AM. Interment Fairfax Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions may made in Chuck's name to St. John's Lutheran Church at the above listed address.

Tributes

Charles Joseph Herbert

October 4, 1931 - December 31, 2014