Charles Ottis Kinlaw passed away late Wednesday evening, 29 May 2024, after a brief illness. He was preceded in death by Billie Olive Kinlaw, his wife of fifty-four years, and survived by his second wife of fifteen years, Katherine Hewitt Kinlaw, of the home; two sons, Charles Jeffery Kinlaw (Jean) and Mark Ottis Kinlaw (Julia); and two grandchildren, Tatum Elizabeth Kinlaw and Ellen Margaret Kinlaw.

Charles was born on 10 December 1929 to Ottis Bundy Kinlaw and Ellen Prevatte Kinlaw in Lumberton, NC. When he reached his thirteenth birthday, Charles was already fishing in the Lumber River and hunting quail on his own, two passions that he retained for his entire lifetime. In 1947 he graduated from Lumberton High School where he excelled in three sports and enrolled that autumn in Wake Forest University on a baseball scholarship (after declining a football scholarship to the University of South Carolina).

After graduation in 1952, Charles married Billie Olive Kinlaw, his high school sweetheart whom he had dated for six years, and, after two years of military service in the United States Army, from which he was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant, embarked on a four-decade career in public education, first as a teacher and coach at Parkton High School and Littlefield High School (where he coached a girls basketball team that finished number one in the state), then as principal at Allenton School and as inaugural principal at East Robeson Elementary School. During this time, he earned a master's in education degree from East Carolina University. Charles' dedication to and love for Robeson County public schools extended well into his formal retirement, as he worked for nearly six years as a teacher mentor for the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Charles was a stunningly prodigious athlete. There was virtually no sport (including ping pong and horseshoes) at which he did not excel. As an accomplished pitcher on a Wake Forest baseball team that finished second in the college world series in 1949, he received lucrative offers that year from the Cubs, Yankees, and the old Philadelphia Athletics (one of the premier baseball franchises at that time). An arm injury throwing a curve ball in near freezing weather, however, diminished some of the velocity on his previously 90 mile an hour (plus) fastball, thereby derailing any serious ambition for a professional career. At age twenty-six, Charles took up golf and eventually became a skilled three-handicap player. It was on the golf course that Lumberton golfers learned, sometimes the hard way, how fiercely competitive he was while showing virtually no emotion other than an occasional wry grin that unmistakably expressed, when appropriate, 'game on'. Charles established an unmatched record of father-son club championships with Jeffery and Mark. He and Mark are the only father-son Kiwanis tournament champions, and in 1997, at the age of 67, he and Jeffery finished third in the same tournament. No one in Lumberton could compete with Charles on a ping-pong table; after all, he and his partner had finished second in the base doubles tournament while he was serving in the military. Charles and Katherine enjoyed many afternoons on the golf course where Charles remained a good player well into his late 80s.

Charles was an excellent freshwater fisherman, but his prowess as a quail and (later) deer hunter remains unsurpassed in Robeson County. Much to the delight of his family, Charles kept the freezer well-stocked with enough quail to ensure that one of Billie's several quail dishes appeared on the dinner table at least once a week for almost year-round. His reputation as a hunter was so well-established that an agent for Hall of Fame pitcher, Catfish Hunter, approached Charles in the mid 1970s with the request that he take Mr. Hunter quail hunting. The hunt, unfortunately, never occurred because of Mr. Hunter's scheduling difficulties; thereby relieving Charles, a lifelong avid Red Sox fan, from hosting a member of the New York Yankees for an afternoon in the woods. One day as the school buses were departing Allenton School where Charles was principal, he observed several quail landing along a ditch across from the school. A few hours later, donning his boots and retrieving his shot gun, Charles proceeded to walk up a covey and killed two "on the rise". He then proceeded to track down and bag six more singles. When he returned home that day, Billie inquired why he was home early since she assumed that he would try to squeeze in a quick hunt before dark. After hearing Charles's story, she simply replied "you don't even need hunting dogs."

Once the quail population in North Carolina began to dissipate, Charles turned to deer hunting with almost the same enthusiasm with which he hunted quail and bagged his share of deer well into his 90s, including two bucks at the age of 93. Much to Charles's delight, Katherine shared his love for fishing—they spent many afternoons on the Lumber River—and she even graciously spent many winter afternoons sitting next to him in a deer stand. His most cherished fishing experience was a trip with Katherine and his two sons to the Anvik River Lodge in western Alaska. Unsurprisingly, he caught the most fish.

No institution was more central to Charles's life than First Baptist Church Lumberton. He joined First Baptist, in standard Baptist practice, by a profession of faith in 1941 and went on to serve multiple terms on the Board of Deacons (twice as chair), chair numerous committees, teach Sunday School, and (with Billie) work closely with his beloved "Friends of Jesus" class.

Charles and Billie enjoyed numerous trips to the beach when raising their sons. Later in life, he enjoyed traveling, especially cruises, first with Billie and then with Katherine. Charles was always a devoted husband and father, and he was especially fond of his two grandchildren, Tatum and Ellen.

Charles was a lifelong Wake Forest Demon Deacon fan whose favorite dog was unsurprisingly named Deacon. It is fitting that he passed from this world wearing a Wake Forest baseball shirt.

Funeral services will take place on Saturday, 1 June 2024, at 1:00 PM at First Baptist Church, 606 N. Walnut Street in Lumberton, NC, followed by a reception in the fellowship hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that interested persons contribute to the Billie Olive Kinlaw Friends of Jesus Fund at First Baptist Church Lumberton, NC, or St. Jude's Children's Hospital.