John “Jack” Baker Charlton passed away on the evening of September 7 at Decatur Morgan Hospital in Decatur, Alabama. He was 89 years old.
Jack was born on October 23, 1926, in Autaugaville, Alabama. He was the third child born to Richard Edmund Charlton and Lida Jones Charlton. Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Virginia Smith, and a brother, Richard Edmund Charlton Jr..
Jack felt proud and fortunate to have spent his early years in rural Autaugaville, Alabama. His parents owned and operated the town’s general store, the hub of small town life. As a small boy, Jack napped on a back room shelf of the store and sold penny candy while sitting atop the front counter. Jack was a star pupil and beloved classmate at hometown Hick’s Memorial School. As the Valedictorian of his class, Jack followed his siblings to Alabama Polytechnic Institute in Auburn in 1945 where he majored in Chemical Engineering and was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
Jack enlisted in the U.S. Air Force toward the end of World War II. After military service, he resumed his studies in Auburn where he met Vennette Cox. They married on December 31, 1948 in Columbus, Mississippi and remained happily married for nearly 68 years.
Jack’s varied and successful career began when he worked as a young engineer in the oil fields of east Texas after his graduation in 1949. Following the birth of their daughter, Carol, in 1951, Jack and his wife, Vennette moved to Decatur, Alabama where Jack worked for Chemstrand Corporation for thirteen years with various managerial positions.
In 1964, Jack was recruited to work at the North Alabama Industrial Development Association in Decatur. He was a key figure in Decatur’s rapid industrial growth at the time. Monsanto (formerly Chemstrand) offered him the opportunity to return t with an opportunity to build their plant in Mexico City in 1965. With Monsanto, Jack and his family thereafter followed opportunities with increased management responsibilities in London, 1966, and Brussels, Belgium, 1967-69. In 1973, Jack returned with Monsanto to Brussels, then to London and the north of England. From 1978 until his retirement from Monsanto in 1986, he worked in Houston, Pensacola and Decatur.
For the next stage of his life, Jack was the Senior Vice President for the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce for ten years. He later led the Huntsville Botanical Garden as its Chairman as the Garden emerged from the surrounding fields and woods. Jack also held the position of Interim President of the Huntsville Museum of Art for a year. He served on the board of Kappler Inc. in Guntersville for twenty years. Jack was also a valued member of the Huntsville Civic Center Board and served two terms as Senior Warden at The Church of the Nativity in Huntsville.
When Jack finally retired, he and Vennette moved back “home” to Decatur. Continuing his commitment to his Church and community, he then was a member of the Vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Anyone who knew him would agree that Jack was a gifted and prolific story teller who loved deep discourse – a peace maker and negotiator and a gentleman of the highest caliber.
Jack is survived by: his beloved wife, Vennette, daughter, Carol Hancock, and her husband Gary, all of Decatur; three grandchildren, Noel Stewart of Birmingham, Taylor Stone of Decatur and Eric Stone of Charlotte, North Carolina; and great-grandchildren, Emmy, Charlton and Edward Stewart of Birmingham.
A celebration of Jack’s life will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Decatur on Sunday, September 11, 2016 at 2:99pm with Reverend Garner officiating. Visitation will be in the church parish hall one hour prior to the service. Internment of the ashes will follow the service in the McKimmon Columbarium of St. John’s.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church, 202 Gordon Drive SE, Decatur 35601. Hartselle Heritage Funeral Home is assisting the family.
