ALTON - A Celebration Of Life for Alton's Famous "Can Man" Charley Moyer AKA Joey Moyer will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, 2022, at Elias Kallal and Schaaf Funeral Home in Alton at 2521 Edwards Street.

Charley MoyerCharley's close friend Dale Neudecker will be the lead coordinator of the celebration and he invited all friends of Charley's who want to come out for the celebration to please attend. Riverbender.com will be at the event to capture it with a full videotape of the speakers and service. An array of speakers are scheduled to step forward for Charley, including Neudecker, Charley's brothers, and more.

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Charley lived in Alton for much of his life and relied on a collection of cans to sustain himself, thus he obtained the nickname "Charley The Can Man." Dale and his wife, Carol, cared for Charley, AKA Joey for more than 30 years. Charley lived with Roger and Pat Lowery at the end of his life in Wilmington, N.C., and they were also dear friends to him. Charley is permanently buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Alton.

Charley didn't like to talk about his age, but he was 76 when he died. May 1, 2022, date would have been Charley's 77th birthday. Charley actually was a huge help to Dale after Dale suddenly lost his wife to a heart situation. Dale saw Charley struggling near his Upper Alton office collecting cans and thought to himself, "If he can do it, I can too," and he worked to continue his life like before the sudden loss of his wife. He eventually married Carol, his present wife, and has had a beautiful life. He always says "I learned more from Charley than any other person in my life and I know he taught me more than I taught him."

Charley died on September 16, 2021. He was born on May 1, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois. He was immediately adopted by Mr. & Mrs. William Moyer. Mr. Moyer was an attorney in Chicago.

Charley was born with Cerebral Palsy and at the age of 1½ years old was placed in a home for the physically and mentally disabled in Lincoln, IL. Charley was never able to speak, his legs were deformed and the only good limb on his body was his left arm and hand, which he used to its fullest potential and thus it was a strong and useful limb to him. He learned to do nearly all daily, normal procedures with this hand.

Dale described Charley as a man of determination.

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"He picked up cans 365 days a year," he said. "Everyone knew him because of his hard work and friendly smile. Joey (Charley) became the most popular name and person in Alton. During this time, he was helped by so many citizens and businesses who started saving cans for him. There were also many who remembered him with monetary donations at Christmas.

"With all of his disabilities (speaking and walking being the main obstacles) he proceeded to live as normal a life as possible. He started collecting cans for an additional income to his only other source….his Social Security.

"Day after day, year after year, in all kinds of weather, Charley would walk the streets in Upper Alton, in order to retrieve any can he saw. After he left the foster home, he had been placed in when he left Lincoln, he rented a very small apartment off Ninth Street. Here he was severely beaten by the man who shared a bathroom with him. This story was released to the new media in Alton and St. Louis and, as a result, Gov. Jim Thompson enacted the 'Joey Bill' which made it a felony to attack a handicapped person. Joey sat in the Governor’s chair as the bill was signed (Governor Thompson knelt on the floor to sign it.)"

Dale and Carol Neudecker cared for Joey (Charley) for over 30 years and would like to remember and thank all the generous friends who helped him in any way.

Dale once said to Charley, after he had accomplished something that amazed Dale….”Joey, you are so smart and such a hard worker, you could and would have been the president of some company, if life had been different. Joey smiled and wrote on the pad of paper he always carried with him….”I am President of a Company – Joey’s Can Company.”

When Charley could no longer live on his own, his other close friends, Roger and Pat Lowery of Wilmington, North Carolina, moved him to their home and then eventually to a retirement facility. His last few years were happy as he adapted to his new surroundings.

One of the biggest milestones in Charley's life occurred in 2009 when he was reunited with his brothers. Dale Neudecker said meeting his brother was one of the largest moments of his life, something he had always wanted. Charley changed his name from Joey to Charley after meeting his brothers and learning more about his life beginning.

"Joey (or Charley) was a man of wisdom, an exceptional human being of extraordinary perseverance, a soul that was so loved by all who knew him and especially by his God," Dale said.

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