Charles F. Belknap Jr.

Belknap Jr., Charles F.

74, of Jackson, a loving husband, father, son, brother, grandson, cousin, nephew, uncle, good friend, teammate, and coach to many. Charley died peacefully on March 24, 2023, with his wife and eldest, Michelle, by his side, in Palm Springs, CA. Charley was born in Jackson, MI, March 20, 1949. He attended St. Mary's School K-12 and graduated in 1967. He attended Jackson Community College and then graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, an MBA from Western Michigan and graduate work from University of Michigan.

Charley married the love of his life, Mary (Irish to him). They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary May 12, 2022. They were blessed with three girls, Michelle, Melissa, and Maureen. Early on, his girls were named "Charley's Angels" and the name stuck. Charley's faith was amazing, so much so, he was nicknamed the Deacon of the family. He loved attending mass, especially with Mary at his side. Charley also had a passion for the history of the Catholic Church, with a focus on St. Mary's Star of the Sea, a third-generation parish member. After a lifelong career with Consumers Energy, Charley took the time to pursue many of his interests such as church volunteer, interior painter for hire (or for his daughters), trips to the Parlour and DQ, traveler with Mary, enjoying northern Michigan, horseback riding with his granddaughters, bicyclist, a convertible car since 1968, furniture refinisher, avid reader, and always appreciative of the "great to be alive moments."  Mathematics was a passion for Charley. From challenging calculations to metabolic results on his labs, his memory and logic was very sharp and even challenged the medical profession at times.

Charley adored his family, loved intellectual conversations (preferably with witty humor), and had a need for physical exercise. Charley volunteered to coach his girls in basketball/soccer and was always an avid fan of anything in which they participated. Charley was also one of the YMCA's original lifetime members and passed his love of physical fitness to his three daughters. One of Charley's greatest characteristics was making sure to ask, "How are you doing?" and then "listening" to the answer. He was not the most talkative; he was deliberate with his words. One of Charley's many gifts was he knew how to have a genuine conversation and made it a priority when interacting with others. Charley was a beautiful pianist. In the recent past, his first new piano was purchased. He continued lessons for as long as possible. Charley was not a performer, but he played beautifully. He also loved to sit by his granddaughters on the piano bench while they played. Neil Diamond and Elton John were some of his favorite modern-day artists. His love of music brought many genres into the home and resulted in numerous family live theater outings.

Living with only females, Charley often used laughter to lighten the mood. Fortunately, at least one of them laughed, despite the situation. Charley was also a creature of habit. He loved to go out to eat. In recent years, "Hot Dog Night" was a weekly gathering. He could iron and clean like no other and passed these skills on to his daughters. Charley loved gummy bears, Mary's crispy sugar cookies, and her homemade pies. He was always up for sports on TV and Charley made sure "his girls" were introduced to all types of athletics. God gave Charles Franklin a wonderful gift - how to be the best that he could be for the four women in his life. It ranged from cheering on the sidelines, to hugging an anxious daughter, to sharing love with a touch, to "perfect" timing with a joke to lighten the mood.

Charley will always be our sunshine!

He is preceded in death by his sister, Christine (Belknap) Adams and parents, Charles F., and Mary M. (Phillips) Belknap, sister-in-law Ann Marie (Finnegan) Wygant and his favorite pet cat, Oreo. He is survived by his treasured wife of 50 plus years, Mary Colleen (Finnegan), three daughters Michelle (Kunkel), Melissa and Kyle (Williams) and Maureen, and gifts from heaven, four granddaughters, Tatym, Avery, Carsyn Williams and Remi Kunkel. Also, his sister Joanne (Belknap) Maes, dear friend and brother-in-law, Jerry Maes, Michael & Charlotte Finnegan, Suzanne (Finnegan) & Tom McNeill, Patricia Finnegan, Peggy (Finnegan) & David Sutherland, Maureen (Finnegan) & Chris Layton, Timothy Finnegan, along with many treasured cousins, nieces, nephews.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, July 7, 2023, at 10:00 AM at St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church with Father Timothy Nelson officiating.

The family will receive friends before the funeral mass on Friday, July 7, from 9AM-10AM.

In lieu of flowers if you wish to donate in Charley's memory, please consider- Lingap Children's Foundation Lumen Christi High School St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church and School Y Center of Jackson-Youth Fund- Strong Kids Strong Communities.

Desnoyer Funeral Home
Family Owned for 133 Years