Charles Burgess Pettis, known as Chuck, age 79, from Roswell, Georgia, passed away suddenly on March 21, 2019. He was sitting at the kitchen table with his binoculars next to him, possibly watching our bluebirds or Great Blue Heron. He loved his bird watching and knew the names of every bird. Chuck was born on December 3, 1939, in Buffalo, New York to Edward Kuester Pettis and Margaret Frantz Pettis. Chuck received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio in 1961. He married his high school sweetheart, Alberta (Wiggins) Pettis, on July 15, 1961, after both graduated from Miami. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, brother, and good friend to all he met. He will be missed by all who knew him and were touched by him in some way in their lives. He began his career with Cincinnati Bell in 1961 and then with AT&T in both New Jersey and later Atlanta. Upon retirement from AT&T in 1994, he spent his remaining years doing what he always wanted to do – sing, write, and act. Chuck sang with Barbershop Quartets and Choruses from Junior High until his passing. In Cincinnati, he sang with the Southern Gateway Chorus, always doing a funny role in their shows. In Atlanta he first sang with the Marietta Big Chicken Chorus until 2009. In 2009, he joined Atlanta Vocal Project and sang with them until his passing. He was very active in his fraternity at Miami – Phi Gamma Delta, the Fiji’s. In 2012, he was introduced as the official person to induct the classes celebrating their 50 years from graduating from Miami University. That was his role every year since then. He conducted the “Hughes Society Induction Ceremony” with an unusual wit, warmth, and charm. He was an active writer and spoke at various events. For many years, he did voice-over work and was a “standardized patient” for medical students. During the school year, he read every week to 3 kindergarten classes at River Eves School in Roswell. He didn’t just read the books, he would stop and ask the kids questions about what he read, explain words to them, act things out and used his voice talents to emphasize things. He was a natural “teacher” who loved children. His wit, warmth, and charm were evident with his readings at River Eves. The kids loved “Mr. Chuck” and every one of them wanted to sit as close to him as possible. Chuck is the author of two books – “Scraps of Paper” – containing every poem, every story, every song, every card he wrote from 7th grade on. The second book is “The Hummingbird and the Hawk” – a wonderful fantasy set in a mythical Native American village. It is available on Amazon. Along with his parents, Chuck was preceded in death by his brother, Edward Eugene Pettis, and his sister, Sarah (Sally) Louise Pettis. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Berta, his two sons, Charles Edward Pettis (Deborah), Maineville, Ohio; James Christopher Pettis, Canton, Georgia; 5 granddaughters – Jacqueline Sarah Pettis Myers (Matt), Melanie Anne Pettis, Ashley Nicole Pettis, Jamie Christine Pettis, Amanda Catlyn Pettis; and two nephews – Jon Martin Pettis and Mark Edward Pettis. Visitation will be held Saturday, March 30, 2019 at noon at the Roswell Funeral Home, Roswell, Georgia, followed by services at 2 p.m. with speakers and Barbershop Choruses singing, directed by Clay Hine of the Atlanta Vocal Project Chorus. Refreshments following. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society in memory of his brother, Edward Eugene Pettis; and Miami University Alumni Association, Oxford, Ohio.

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