Charles Barrett, 89

Charles Patrick Barrett, 89, passed away Jan. 9 2012, at Mease Manor Assisted Living Facility, Dunedin Fla.  He was born on Dec. 23, 1922, the son of Floyd and Anna Barrett in Watervliet.  He resided in Clemons, NY, in the summers and Dunedin in the winter.  Charles was a WWII veteran of the Army Air Force, serving with the 394th Bombardment Group from June 1942 to Nov. 1945 in the European Theater of Operation. He was awarded his Silver Bombardier Wings by the Department of Defense in 1991 for flying over 50 hours of combat duty.   He was a graduate of Siena College in 1949 with a bachelor’s of science degree in Economics.  He worked more than 3 decades in the federal service as a management analyst, mobilization planner and secret agent during the Cold War.

He was an avid reader and enjoyed working with his hands to create a variety of unusual crafts.  Charles had an amazing imagination and shared it with his nieces and nephew and their families in the form of creative letters, poetry, fantastic presentations of gifts and remarkable storytelling that always kept them on the edge of their seats.  His friends knew him as an avid outdoorsman and for his love of the game of golf, which he played almost daily till he was 85.

He is survived by his nieces, Carol Peppard of Indian Land, S.C., and Rosemary Bloom of Esopus, NY, a nephew, Michael C. Cahill of Kingston, NY, great nephews and nieces and many Irish cousins. A commemorative service was held  at Mease Manor, Feb. 2,  for his friends in the Dunedin area.  An additional service and burial will be held in the Whitehall area in the late spring.