Charles “Chuck” Jennings, Jr. passed away March 28, 2024 at his home surrounded by his family.
Visitation for Chuck will be Monday, April 1 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Myers Funeral Home in Wellsville. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 2 at the funeral home with Father Bill Debo officiating. Burial will be in Wellsville Cemetery.
Chuck was one of twin sons born to Chuck and Dorothy Jennings on July 24, 1943. Chuck grew up on Lehnen Street in Wellsville surrounded by multiple sets of grandparents. We are certain that this is where he got the foundation for being a wonderful PawPaw.
Chuck was a 1961 graduate from Wellsville-Middletown High School. He completed two years of college in Kirksville where he majored in “pool hall and alcohol.” He met a cute redhead outside of the Overalls and Aprons dance in Martinsburg, where he was telling dirty jokes to a crowd outside. On September 11, 1971, he married Mildred Schwartze in Martinsburg. They spent 52 great years together.
While he is most known for fishing, hunting, shooting pool and enjoying a cold beer, you could also say that he had only two real jobs. He started working for the City of Wellsville once he returned from college. From there, he spent 32 years at the Wellsville Fire Brick Company where he retired after many years as the press department supervisor. After his retirement, he returned to work for the City of Wellsville as the manager or “water commissioner” of the Wellsville Water Plant.
If you were a friend of the Jennings kids or even knew Chuck, chances are you went fishing with him at some point in your life. Many decades were spent on the Loutre River, Sportsman’s Lake, Brick Plant Lake and eventually the ponds he built. One of his absolute favorite things to do was take kids fishing. Whether it was his three kids, his six grandkids, his nieces and nephews or other kids, Chuck loved seeing kids fish. He would often gauge the success of the fishing trip on how much beer was left in his can that went hot because he was too busy baiting hooks and taking off fish. He was very proud of his February fishing record which consisted of catching a fish for 62 years in a row during that month.
Another passion was hunting. Whether it was goose hunting at Swan Lake with Jabba, ducks off the Wellsville Lagoon with Andy, rabbits off a snowy gravel road with beagles or deer hunting out of his sugar shack at the farm in Salisbury, he left a long legacy of hunting stories and instilled a love of it in his kids and grandkids. One of the best Christmases was the year he gave each grandkid their own deer rifle. We aren’t sure who was more excited, the kids or the big kid. He also put many miles on his truck driving around looking for deer with Millie and their furry best friend at the time, Josie, Oscar and, most recently, Carley.
During his retirement, Chuck was always willing to go on road trips such as San Antonio, but those memories always came with certain rules. For the past several years, Tuesdays were sacred and nothing could be scheduled for that time. These afternoons were saved for the “VFW Poker Club.” In the last few years, that was time well spent with those guys and something that he looked forward to every week. They will be the ones to carry him for his final “Showdown.”
Left to cherish his memory are his wife Millie; his children and their spouses, Karen and Dan, Becky and Tracey, and Michael and Pam. His true fishing and hunting buddies were his six grandkids, Alicen and Grant Jennings, Shelby and Weston Munden, and Clayton and Callie Jennings. He is also survived by his sister, Holly Bush; sister-in-law, Diana Schwartze; and brother-in-law, Leo Schwartze; along with many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Dorothy Jennings; twin brother, Hollis Jennings; and granddaughter Kylar Jennings.
Due to Chuck’s love of hunting and fishing, memorial contributions may be made to the Missouri Disabled Sportsmen. They can be sent in care of Myers Funeral Home, 203 E. Bates Street, Wellsville, MO 63384.
