Charles Thomas Johnson

ARDEN - Charles Thomas Johnson, our beloved brother, died Monday, July 20th, 2026, at the age of sixty-five, following a terminal diagnosis. He was born at Scott Airforce Base in Belleville, Illinois, the fifth of seven children. When the family moved to North Carolina from Colorado in the summer of 1969, they settled in Oteen.

Charlie, as he was known all his life, quickly took to the mountains and the uniqueness of Asheville, adopting a deep, Southern accent almost immediately. He attended Charles C. Bell Elementary and A.C. Reynolds High School. He worked at Jabil Manufacturing in Arden. He never married, loving to spend time with his family and be a good Uncle to his many nieces and nephews.

Charlie loved playing the guitar and harmonica. He wrote thoughtful lyrics and played his songs, often singing with abandon. Charlie had a wonderful, playful sense of humor, and loved watching physical comedy with his younger siblings. He was outwardly funny and gregarious and inwardly pensive. Like all of us, he had his highs and lows, with joyous moments and difficult struggles.

Charlie also enjoyed fishing from an early age. There was not much he liked better than a pole, a line, and a river to sit by and dangle his feet in. His friends always remarked on his welcoming of others in his life, his laugh and smile, and his mischievous grin. Golf, racing, billiards and bowling were his other sports of choice. He was also an avid Colts fan.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Irene Sales and Lloyd Vernon Johnson, and his eldest brother, John Patrick Johnson. He is survived by his sisters, Kathryn Johnson Cameron (David), Susan Irene Johnson, Meg J. Dietrich (Ulrich) and brothers, William Lloyd Johnson (Polly), and James C. Johnson (Becky); and extended family in the Asheville area.

A memorial service is being planned for later in the fall. In lieu of flowers, please donate instead to the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Western North Carolina in Charlie’s honor, to any county of your choice in Western NC. You may also choose their Bowl for Kid’s Sake annual fundraiser effort.

West Family Funeral Services is honored to be serving Charlie’s family.