Obituary of Charlie Edward Wilkerson, Jr.

In the pre-dawn hours of the 24th of September, 2020, Charlie Edward Wilkerson, Jr., 88 of Huddleston gave up the ghost peacefully in his bed amongst all of his beloved "adopted" family, Donna and Rusty Hawkins, Tommy "BooBoo" Hawkins, Heather Hawkins and fiancé, Corey Cassidy, Lil' Rusty Hawkins and fiancé, Hailey Little, Deven Howell and several family friends. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Charlie E. Wilkerson, Sr. & Elma Tosh Wilkerson and his three sisters, Zenith, Quinnie and Ada Mae. Charlie was the original Smith Mountain Laker, a real cornerstone of our humble community. He was a true descendant of the founding families of Virginia according to historical records dating back to 1792. As a child of the great depression, Charlie took those hardened values to heart and maintained a remarkably modest lifestyle. His two true joys in life was farming from horse drawn plows to his modern, big ole' John Deer Tractor and caring for the people in this small community. He had the most charitable heart that may have no equal. These two joys gave him a full, long and healthy life though he never married nor begat children. Charlie is deeply loved and will be forever missed. We will always miss the kindness of his heart, his ability to make anyone laugh, Charlie's "sharp as a tack" mind any college professor would covet and that he kept all the way until the end. And most of all we will miss his loving, yet raw wisdom and his firm guidance. There will never be another man like him, he was a priceless treasure and wealth of knowledge. He was truly a blessing to all who knew him. The family wishes to give thanks to all of the hospice and medical staff that made our beloved Charlie's transition more comfortable, especially Chaplain Mel Bautista who eased Charlie's soul by the grace of Jesus Christ and also Frank Brudke who kept Charlie's spirits up and helped so much at the end. A funeral service will be held at 12 noon on Monday, September 28, 2020 at the Wilkerson Family Cemetery with Pastor David Place officiating. There is no visitation. Arrangements are being handled by Updike Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Bedford.