Charles Carr
Bethalto | Save
Charles Glenn Carr, 68, died Saturday, September 30, 2017 at Alton Memorial Hospital with his family by his side after a short and courageous battle with pulmonary fibrosis and pancreatic cancer.
He was born to Herbert and Bessie Carr on June 1, 1949 in Kennett, Missouri.
He married JoAnne (Rich) Carr on February 19, 1972 celebrating 45 years of marriage.
He retired from the Village of Bethalto as a Village Inspector. He loved to deer hunt on his Aunt and Uncle (Earl and Mary Breadon Freiburger) farm in Rolla, Missouri with his cousins Randy and Gary and his nephew, Rick.
He started drawing at age 6 and started painting at age 10. His dad would buy paint by the number pictures and he would turn the number side over and paint what he wanted. His first painting was a tiger that turned out very good. In Jr. High he would stay up most of the night - sometimes all night doing paintings to show his art teacher and mentor. In all he had been working on art around 50 years.
Glenn was shot in the right shoulder at the age of 16 in a hunting accident. He was right handed and laying on the ground with a hole the size of a grapefruit; he thought all was lost. His best friend went for help. All he could do was pray which brought him peace. Doctor said he would never use his arm again!
Glen had a special gift. He was an artist. I called him the Painter of Detail because he put so much detail in his paintings. Glenn never had any formal training. It was truly a gift from the Lord above. He painted every day and started when he was 10 years old. He just turned 68 years old. He always gave the Lord all the credit and there was a lot of struggling but each painting turned out better than the other and he gave thanks to the Lord. He read a lot of books. We had a few one-man art shows that were very successful, but to Glenn and I money was not the main object. Glenn gave away tons of artwork. He has given paintings, knife carvings, and carved baseball bats to people who lost a loved one, someone who had medical problems or to someone who needed a little joy in their life. The best payment was to see their face with tears running down their cheeks and getting a big hug, even from men. That meant more to Glenn than any amount of money.
He did a painting for an older friend who loved to pheasant hunt on a friend‘s farm with his buddies every year for 45 years. Then he had a bad stroke and could no longer hunt. Glenn asked his son to get him photos of everything on the farm and Glenn was able to get everything on a 30x30 canvas, even down to the impression of the Skoal can on his grandson‘s back pocket. The painting took 1,330 hours to complete. It was a labor of love. His son hung it on the wall in front of the chair where his dad sat every day. One day when Glenn was flipping through the channels low and behold there was (Jerry Yarnell). Glenn was so excited - finally an artist that could teach him all the things he needed. Jerry Yarnell was a true godsend and to top it all off, a man of God. One of the highlights of Glenn’s life was to meet Ozzie Smith and give him a carved baseball bat of Ozzie and his son (his son doing the flip). Glenn also gave carved baseball bats to Dave Dravecky, Mark Maguire, and a leather carving of Kurt Warner.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his special Aunt Mary Breadon Freiburger from Rolla, Missouri, special cousins Randy (Gina) Breadon of Pacific, Missouri, and their children, Ben and Jeremy; Sherry (Wayne) Lindsey of St. Louis, Mo and their daughter, Mandy; a sister-in-law, Becky Carr of Kansas City, MO and her children Chris Douglass and his child, Ryan; and Amber (Brad) Claxton of Liberty, MO and their child, Roman; a niece Terri and (Johnny) Autry of Lake Park, GA and their children Taryn and Tyler; a nephew, Rick Carr (Melissa, girlfriend) of Wood River and his children, Jessica (Quentin) Wade and Brad Carr (Keaton, girlfriend), a niece, Vicki Batista and her children, Nicola and Hannah, cousin Gary (Nancy) Lebo from Mississippi and their children Rachel and Sara; Sister-in-law who he considered more of a sister Eleanor (Dave) Fleming of Bethalto and their children, John, Michele (Scott) Ervin and their children, Joshua and John Ervin, brother-in-laws Ed Rich of Wood River and Eldon (Kathie) Rich of Clermont, FL and children, Justin and Jennifer.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Larry and Tommy (who died at a very young age) and Uncle Earl. He had a special dog, Muffin, who he spoiled rotten and she died January 1, 2017.
Memorials may be given to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or 5A Animal Shelter.
In celebration of his life, visitation will be from 11:00 am until time of services at 1:00 p.m. at Elias, Kallal and Schaaf Funeral Home in Bethalto on Friday, October 6, 2017. Burial will follow at Rose Lawn Cemetery in Bethalto. Julie Gvillo will officiate.
Online condolences and memorials may be sent to www.eliaskallalandschaaf.com
Elias, Kallal & Schaaf Funeral Home
