Charles "Charley John" Marshall Smith

HENDERSON- Charles Marshall “Charley-John” Smith, 86, of West Hills Drive, died Monday, October 7, 2024 at home surrounded by his family. Born May 7, 1938 in Franklin County, he was the son of the late Ruth Sturdivant Smith Long and Alex Marshall Smith and was the widower of Rita Cooper Peoples Smith. Charley-John was a Veteran of the United States Army. He holds a Masters of Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters of Arts in Education from Northwestern State University. He retired from Louisburg College in 2011 after teaching for 32 years. His college employment began long before Louisburg, however. He was formerly employed at Erskine College from 1967-1970. There he took over a young soccer program eventually leading them from obscurity to beating Clemson, ranked in the top 5 in the country at the time, 5-0 and in another game, scored a staggering 25 goals against Wolford College. In 1971 he lead Davis and Elkins men’s soccer team, to win second place in the Nationals. Locally, he was a past soccer coach at Vance Academy recruiting and mentoring soccer legend David Doyle and taking the school to the state final. Charley John’s hobbies were vast. He was an avid pool player and nationally ranked at one time, and was a lifeguard at Kerr Lake swimming area and the Outer Banks of NC, rescuing over 125 people from drowning. His involvement in the theater was long-lived, and he was a successful actor, playwright, producer and director. His writing and directing included originals such as, That Long Tobacco Road and his own musical adaptation of, A Christmas Carol. He was an actor with, The Lost Colony from 1963-1967 playing the roles of Chief Manteo and Simon Fernando. He performed in and directed numerous outdoor dramas including, The Legend of Daniel Boone in West Virginia, Big Stone Gap in Virginia, and First For Freedom in Halifax, NC. In 1972 he created The Southeastern Shakespeare Company, a non-profit touring company which toured and performed Shakespeare to schools in the south east region. Charley-John has also directed numerous seasons for the Henderson Rec Players. His creativity extended beyond the theater as he was a craftsman who was known for remodeling relics on the family farm and building treasures from scrap. He was a member of First Baptist Church Henderson where funeral services will be held Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 2:00 P.M. by Dr. Ronald S. Cava. Burial will follow in Elmwood Cemetery. Charley-John is survived by his two sons, Puska Sturdivant Smith of Henderson and Pepe Miguel Smith of Raleigh, Josie Smith Best (Johnnie) of Henderson; his sister, Gloria Smith Watkins of Sharpsburg, GA; a sister-in-law, Bonnie Peoples Reidy of Gastonia; a brother-in-law, Allen Randolph Peoples (Brenda) of Rocky Mount; and his nieces and nephews, Allen Randolph Peoples, Jr. (Mary), Donna Ann Peoples, George Melvin Grissom III (John Walker), Gina Marshall Johnson (Paul), and Gavin Mitchell Grissom (Brittany). In addition to his parents and his wife, he was preceded in death by a brother-in-law, Michael Patrick Reidy. The family will receive friends prior to the service in the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church from 12:30 until 1:45 P.M. on Saturday. The family will also receive friends at home on Friday from 1-5pm. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to: CurePSP, 325 Hudson Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10013, (Progressive Supra Nuclear Palsy) at www.psp.org. The service starts at the 17-minute mark.