Charles "Chuck" Gillikin

Obituary Charles "Chuck" Lindberg Gillikin, 83, of Morehead City, died Saturday, April 9, 2016, at CarolinaEast Medical Center, New Bern. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 15, at First United Methodist Church with the pastors, the Rev. E. Powell Osteen and the Rev. Jason Villegas officiating. The interment will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, April 16, at Cedar Island Community Cemetery. Charles "Chuck" Lindberg Gillikin was born April 22, 1932 in Straits, NC to Curtis and Allie Myrtle Day Gillikin. He had a robust personality, who was quick to smile. A family man, he was a devoted and loving husband, father, and grandfather. At the age of 14, he left home to work as a deckhand on a dredge to support his mother and sisters. By the age of 23, he directed a dredging operation in Venezuela where he learned a second language. During the next dredging operation in Nova Scotia, he met the love of his life, Marie. After marrying on December 26, 1956, they moved to the United States. A field engineer and director of operations for several companies, he was doing waterway work for the Army Corps of Engineers before retiring as a General Superintendent. He was a licensed US Coast Guard Captain, who after his retirement ran his own dredging consulting firm. At the age of 56, he began the Laubach Reading Program where he learned to read. He enrolled as a student at Carteret Community College and received his high school diploma. He became an avid reader and continued his education with college courses. Joining the Literacy Council, he traveled the East Coast telling his story and encouraging others to pursue their dreams. The book, Read with Me, has a chapter devoted to him and his literacy journey. The book quotes him; "When some people close their eyes, they see letters. When I close my eyes, I see charts, oceans, and pretty women". He had a strong love for the water and was always the life of the party. Upon his second retirement, he loved to garden, fish, and cook on the grill. He was known for his roasted poultry and never missed an opportunity to provide a meal to his family or the "neighborhood". He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Marie Brown Gillikin; daughters, Loretta Gillikin Baily and husband Dykeman of Morehead City and Pollyanna Gillikin Cox and husband Jimmy of Pine Knoll Shores; sons, Charles Lindberg Gillikin, Jr. of Newport and William Curtis Gillikin and wife Deborah of Morehead City; sisters, Hilda Gillikin of Williamsburg, VA and Esther Gillikin of Newport; brother Curtis Gillikin of Otway; grandchildren, Dega Baily Lancaster and husband Robert, Katie Baily Salter and husband Clint, Dyckman W. Baily V and wife Kristen, Charles L. Gillikin III, James Dylan Cox and fianc Kayla Hale, William Curtis Gillikin II, Jared Thomas Cox, Logan Cole Gillikin, Ally Evonne Gillikin, Owen Henry Gillikin; great-grandchildren, Melissa Gillikin, Baily Salter, Anna Kate Salter, Mason Curtis Lancaster and Victoria Baily. He is preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Geneva Lawrence and Carrie Wade; his brothers Elbert Gillikin, Otis Gillikin, Hervie Gillikin and Herman Gillikin; nieces Elberta Gillikin and Cindy Lee Gillikin; nephews Bobby Lawrence and John Anthony Gillikin and a granddaughter Melissa Gillikin. The family will receive friends at the Church Fellowship Hall following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First United Methodist Church, 900 Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC 28557 to benefit Back Pack Blessings providing food for children at Morehead City Primary or the Scholarship Fund. Memorial Service 11:00 a.m. ,Friday, April 15, 2016 First United Methodist Church 900 Arendell Street Morehead City, NC 28557 Reception following service First United Methodist Church 900 Arendell Street Morehead City, NC 28557 Interment 11:00 a.m. ,Saturday, April 16, 2016 Cedar Island Community Cemetery 2724 Hwy 12 Cedar Island, NC 28520 Services You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of Charles "Chuck" Gillikin