Yesterday, today and the days to come, a small New England town mourns Charlie. And anyone who has come in contact with Charlie, even myself, mourns the physical death of an amazing man. I don't even know if I could spell his last name correctly, I know it is Fiese, or close enough, but I knew him as Charlie. And if I am this saddened, I can only imagine those who he connected with each and every day. You see Charlie is the custodian at Hull High School, a quaint, ocean view peninsula of a town, the town I visited all my years and the town where my sister and her husband settled and raised the boys. And Karen works at the high school as school secretary and has held many "jobs" there, some imposed, some by the nature of the assignments. Every day for years and years Karen and Charlie connected in ways that one does when there is a mutual respect and a common understanding of how to get the job done, and how to put the students first. Charlie took care of Karen, brought her water, treats, they laughed on the walkie-talkie, they chatted about life, they knew every move of each other's family, and they were family to one another. Their bond created a glow that gave off a spark of energy like no other! It is hard to say when I actually started making a visit to Charlie as part of my trip, but each time, I would make it to the high school to connect for a minute....sometimes on my way in to town, sometimes as I caught the ferry back to the airport, but more often than not, Charlie was on the horizon of every visit. And he would joke that he was going to come to St. Louis and work in one of my schools, kidded that I was the sister who was nicer, ribbing my own sister, all the while, looking at Karen with the admiration of a father/brother/uncle.
Charlie was 66 years old and on any given day would have been at the school long before 7:10 a.m. yesterday. In fact, Charlie devoted his life to that school and those students and staff. He made everyone's day brighter and he cared so deeply that everyone have a safe, clean, maintained building, but more importantly, a positive experience and the best day possible. He would lean on his mop, broom, over the counter, or stand straight and tall, it didn't matter, he was the mainstay of Hull High School. And yesterday morning, he was not scheduled to work, a rarity, as he was called to jury duty. God's intervention that he was not at school, tending to the day? Did God have the premonition that Charlie needed to be at home, not where hundreds of people would gather at just the time when the pain would come...the moment when he shared with his beloved wife that something felt a little odd, only to sit down and stop breathing completely? God knew something that the rest of the world did not, Charlie needed to be where he needed to be, tended to by his family, preparing for the eternal rest that comes when our work on earth is finished.
Charlie has other work to do, but it is sad. Karen shared how the principal gathered the staff and students in the gym for an assembly to share the news of their Charlie. She also shared how when it was time to return to class, the hundreds of students made nary a sound, that a pin could drop and it would be heard, as the saying goes. The silence must have been telling, I felt it from here.
Charlie was one of a kind. I smile through tears as I recall him creating a special place for my daughters and me when we attended Matt's graduation, special, roped seating, complete with water and fans! He checked on us periodically to make sure we were comfortable in the sweltering space, an unusual surge of warm temperatures causing a bit of staleness in his gym! He didn't check only on us, although he wanted me to believe it! I saw him make the rounds to others in that room, but he made us feel like dignitaries. Just as he did the day he came to a graduation celebration for Joseph, stopping by the house and bringing ME flowers. Charlie was quite a guy. I can only imagine from my small spectrum of experiences, what it must be like for my sister and all those who adored Charlie to face this loss. The stories are never going to cease!
My time of visiting Charlie ended after Allison passed away from us. It was too much for Charlie. He couldn't stand the pain and the sadness that resonated from my sister, let alone see me. I think Charlie grappled with the complexity of this young woman dying of lung cancer, as we all did, but maybe even a little more. Now that the world has lost Charlie, and he is with a loving and true God, he will find his answers and his peace about the parts of life that are so unfair and wrong and painful. No maybe about it, we will all learn the lessons taught by his example and his legacy is going to live through generations of students who moved through those halls and classrooms.
Charlie's memorial service will be held in the gym of the high school this Friday. How perfectly fitting! How perfectly aligned will the chairs be, the floor will shine, the flowers will adorn the makeshift alters, and Charlie's spirit and soul will see to it that every one is comfortable.
I am reminded of a poem that we placed on the back of Allison's memorial service booklet, but it is particularly fitting for Charlie...so, dedicated to a man who made such a difference, from one soul of thousands who will miss his presence, and to the students and staff who will walk the halls of Charlie's high school, I share, "I Am".
I Am
by Mary Lou Van Alta
The "I" that is me--you cannot see
You see only the form that you think is me.
This form that you see, will not always be;
But the "I" that is me--lives eternally.
Rest, dear Charlie, rest in peace.
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