Charles Raymond Kern's Obituary
Charles Raymond “Chuck” Kern, 77, of Charlotte died peacefully at home on Monday, March 11, 2019.
Charles is survived by his wife, Jean (née Huentelman) Kern; his children, Karen (Thomas) Donahue of Charlotte, North Carolina; Joseph (Janice) Kern of Grafton, North Dakota; Margaret (Charles) Blair of Chicago, Illinois; and Diane (Charles) Hansen of Concord Township, Ohio. He is also survived by his beloved grandchildren Erin, Jane and Anne Donahue; Kenneth, Charles, Thomas, and Jack Kern; Iain and Hugh Blair; Owen and Morgan Hansen; and Elijah Losey; and his brothers William and Thomas Kern; as well as by his large extended family, whom he eagerly traced in his genealogy studies. These studies culminated last year when he visited his second cousin and his family's ancestral town in Germany.
Chuck was born on June 17, 1941, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the son of the late Myron and Marie (Eilermann) Kern and Stella (Herzog) Kern. He attended Elder High School in Cincinnati. He then finished high school and got his B.A. degree in Philosophy from Atheneum of Ohio. He obtained his Masters of Education in Guidance Counseling from Xavier University and his Doctorate in Education Administration from Miami University.
Chuck began his teaching career after college and met, and then married, his wife Jean in 1965. He began his career as a school administrator soon after. He worked as an Assistant Principal at Colerain High School near Cincinnati, and was the inaugural Principal at Northwest High School, also near Cincinnati. His work in public education moved him and his family to Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1979, where Chuck worked as the curriculum director and then the assistant superintendent of Bellefontaine City Schools until he retired from education in 1995. Afterwards he worked as a social service administrator for six years in Logan County (Ohio). In 2002, Chuck and Jean retired and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to be near their eldest daughter and granddaughters.
Chuck had a strong passion for the arts and for arts education. While in Bellefontaine, he helped found the Cultural Arts Commission of Logan County, and he received the Distinguished Educator for Art Education by the Ohio Art Education Association in 1990. He was also a docent for the Mint Museum in Charlotte for many years. He was a cantor and choir member at the many Catholic Churches he attended, most recently at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Charlotte. He loved attending the opera, reading, drawing, and working in his immaculately manicured yard. His greatest love was for his family. He took great pride in his 12 grandchildren and could often be found cheering for them at swim meets, attending their piano recitals, or reading to his smallest grandchildren.
Calling hours will be held on Monday, March 18, 2019, from 5 to 7 p.m., with recitation of the rosary at 6:30, at James Funeral Home in Huntersville. A funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 11 a.m. at St. Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to TACA (The Autism Community in Action) 2222 Martin Street, Suite 140 Irvine, CA, 92612 http://2019ff.tacanow.org/charles-kern or to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association P.O. Box 105 Glenolden, PA 19036 http://www.cmtausa.org
To sign an online guestbook for Chuck, visit the obituary link on the funeral home website, https://www.jamesfuneralhomelkn.com/obituaries/
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