Charles Henry Lehman
Charles Lehman Obituary
.Charles Henry Lehman, 86, of Fort Mill, S.C., entered the more immediate presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, February 6, 2021 after a six-year battle with Wegener’s granulomatosis and a decisive loss to covid-19.
Chuck, as he preferred to be called, was born July 10, 1934 in Hagerstown, Md., to Isaac N. and Anna L. Lehman, who were aged 54 and 43. The years between him and his five siblings were such that he had no memory of living with them in the same home.
As an industrious little boy, he did farm chores and ran errands for neighbors, and by age 12, was offered an after-school job at Rohrer’s Dry Cleaning in Sharpsburg, Md. Between his father’s advice to “Be as glad to do the work as you are to get the pay,” and the kind mentorship of Mr. Rohrer, Chuck developed a work ethic that any ardent Calvinist would admire.
In high school, he played drums in the marching band and catcher on the baseball team, going on to play Inter-State League for the Hagerstown Owls. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1952 when a neighbor on the draft board tipped him that his number was coming up. A base commander learned Chuck was a ringer who could also type so he was assigned to Samson AFB (Geneva, N.Y.) where his duties were typing the roster in the morning, playing baseball in the afternoon.
Samson AFB is where he met Harriet Ann Emerson, a WAF A/1C assigned to the Chaplaincy. The crush-worthy girl who played the organ in Parish Hall became his wife on July 16, 1955. Chuck and Harriet made a family together as he built a sales career working for Sherwin-Williams, Davis Paint Co., Carter's Ink Co., and Esselte Pendaflex Corp. The Lehman’s lived in Falls Church, Va., Reisterstown, Md., Winston-Salem, N.C., and Atlanta, Ga., before retiring in Leesburg, Fla., and then Fort Mill, S.C.
Chuck enjoyed playing golf and was an avid reader, especially on the subject of American history. In the summer of 2016, he went on a trip with his son and youngest grandson to tour historic battlefield sites in the area where he grew up. That week, National Park Service docents from Gettysburg to Antietam learned things they didn’t know before.
He spent the last few years of his life happily doing Harriet’s bidding, auditing online seminary classes and writing down memories from his childhood to share with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He and Harriet were married 65 years before she died June 12, 2020.
Chuck Lehman was a snappy dresser, had an amazing recall of anything he read, made many friends, scored at least two holes-in-one, and most remarkably, in 86 years of living, he never threw up. Not once.
He is survived by his daughter, Lou Ann Lamb (husband, Allen), son, Chip Lehman (wife, Sherry); four grandchildren, Joshua Lamb, Caroline O’Brien Stricker (Mike), Courtney Lehman Butler (Sean) and Cullen Lehman; two great-grandsons, T.J. and Alex O’Brien.
Memorials may be made to Charlotte Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 3300, Charlotte, NC 28233
Palmetto Funeral Home of Fort Mill, S.C. is assisting the family with arrangements. Interment with military honors will be held at Salisbury National Cemetery in Salisbury, N.C., at a later date.
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Charles Henry Lehman, please visit our Tree Store.
