Charles Stephen "Charlie" Hart

Charles Stephen “Charlie” Hart, 76, of Raleigh, North Carolina, passed away unexpectedly on July 7 at Holden Beach, North Carolina.

Born July 26, 1945, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Charlie’s greatest talent was living well. He enjoyed nothing more than spending time with his family. Charlie loved to cook and to read, and he was a devoted caretaker to several dogs over the years. Always an adventurer, he loved domestic and international travel. He found great reward through years of volunteer work for Raleigh Little Theater, where he constructed sets; and WUNC Radio, PBS North Carolina, and Meals on Wheels.

Charlie’s sharp wit and sense of humor were ever present, especially in his clever puns. He loved games, especially Liar’s Dice on annual family beach trips, a daily dose of Jeopardy, crossword puzzles, and creating brain teasers for his grandkids. Knowing Charlie was to truly understand joie de vivre.

After graduating from Central Catholic High School in Allentown, he served in the US Navy for eight years. As Machinist Mate 1st Class Submarine Qualified Engineering Laboratory Technician, he served on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN65) and the nuclear submarines USS Barb (SSN596) and USS Gurnard (SSN662).

Following his discharge from the Navy, he lived in San Francisco with friends from his Navy days. Not in a hurry for real jobs, they pursued their fortunes betting on horse races at Golden Gate Fields. These life-long friends recall alternating who bought the champagne based on who had the best day at the races. But this lasted only a little while; the discipline of successful gambling was harder than having a real job.

So, Charlie soon launched a long career as a programmer and systems analyst, the majority of which was spent at IBM. During that time, he earned a bachelor’s degree in history, with honors, from NC State University. Following retirement from IBM in 2000, he worked at Cornell-Mayo Associates and Measurement Incorporated.

Charlie is survived by his wife, Hillary M. Hebert of Raleigh; stepdaughter, Jill Steffey (Bob) of Raleigh and grandsons, George Steffey and Max Steffey; stepson, Neil Hebert (Bridget May) of San Francisco, CA; siblings, William Hart (Michelle) of Cherryville, PA; John Hart of Allentown; Mary Hart of Allentown, Kathleen Reed of Hope Mills, NC; Ann Danek (Raymond) of Salisbury Township, PA; Thomas Hart (Deborah) of Windsor, CA; Elizabeth Czekner of Allentown; Joseph Hart of Allentown; many beloved nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews; and friends around the world. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary and George Hart; and siblings, Michael Hart and Virginia Hart.

Condolences may be left at bryan-leefuneralhome.com . Donations can be made in Charlie’s name to the SPCA of Wake County at https://spcawake.org or to Meals on Wheels of Wake County at https://www.wakemow.org .