Charles Thomas Blackwell

Charles Blackwell

Charles Thomas Blackwell YORK – Charles Thomas Blackwell, 82, of York, died Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013, at home. Charles was born March 12, 1930, in Charlotte, N.C., to Lula and Robert Blackwell. He was married almost 45 years to Martha McKnight Blackwell. Charles, who was also known as “One Lung,” grew up in York and attended Erskine College, the University of South Carolina and the University of Houston. He was a veteran of the Korean War and an executive with Boy Scouts of America. As a young man, Charles was an actor on Broadway and off-Broadway and a member of the Lincoln Center Repertory Theater. He was an original cast member in Arthur Miller’s “Incident at Vichy” and he worked with director Elia Kazan on several plays and toured with Kathryn Grayson in “Showboat.” While living in New York in the 1960s he also did standup comedy and beat poetry readings. After returning to South Carolina in the late 1960s he continued to work in the theater directing regional productions. In 1983, he had a speaking role on the CBS miniseries “Chiefs” with Charlton Heston. After returning to South Carolina, Charles was a small business owner in downtown York for many years owning and operating Blackwell Furniture Company, Radio Shack and York Credit Bureau. Among Charles’ many lifelong passions was dancing the Shag. As a lifeguard in Myrtle Beach in the 1940s, Charles was one of the original Shaggers, and he continued to love the dance well into his 80s. He was a member of the Shag Hall of Fame, member of the Sand Flea’s Living Legends at Ocean Drive, member of the Charlotte Shag Club and founder of the York Shag Club. Charles was also passionate about politics. He was chairman of the Libertarian Party of South Carolina in the 1970s and was actively involved in local politics for many years. He was very opinionated and wrote countless letters to the editor over the decades. He also wrote poetry and was an avid fan of history, particularly concerning the Catawba Indians and York. Charles married Martha Virginia McKnight of York on Feb. 10, 1968 and had four children, Kathy (spouse Steve Scheibal) of Austin, Texas; Robert Russell (spouse Michelle) of Charlotte; Charlie and Beth, both of York. In addition to his wife and children, surviving are his sister Bobbie McCoy of York; and five grandchildren: Lilli, Gabe, Tanner, Ryan and Brady, who called him Happy, Pop and PePaw and with whom his jokes and unique sense of humor will live on. Also surviving are many nieces, nephews, and extended friends and family. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, January 12, 2013 at First Baptist Church in York with the Revs. Trey Doyle and Tony Grant officiating. Burial will be held at Lakeview Memory Gardens in York. The family will receive friends on Friday, January 11, 2013 at Bratton Funeral Home from 6 – 8 PM. Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, PO Box 236, York, SC 29745, York ARP Church, PO Box 475, York, SC 29745, or to Hospice of South Carolina, 1230 Ebenezer Road, Rock Hill, SC 29731. Online condolences to the family may be made at www.brattonfuneralhome.com. Bratton Funeral Home in York is serving the Blackwell family.