Charles “Charley” Germain of Mays Landing passed away suddenly on Saturday March 10th. Born in Brooklyn in 1929 he is survived by his wife of 60 years, Carol Germain (Hanley), his son Charles “Chip” (Linda) and grandchildren Tiffany and Max.

Charley loved his wife and family but anyone who knew Charley knew that his grandson Max held the largest spot in his heart. Quick witted Charley loved a good joke and also sharing amusing emails with family and friends.

Charley was born in Brooklyn in 1929 just before the stock market crash and was the family’s “designated fan” of the Brooklyn Dodgers for life. That’s why it was the “thrill of a lifetime” for him to later pitch batting practice for the “Boys of Summer” in 1949 before the Dodgers sent him to pitch for the Amherst Ramblers in Nova Scotia that summer.

Long before that experience he attended Fourteen Holy Martyrs School in Brooklyn (to the 5th grade) and Our Lady of Peace School in Fords, NJ, before going to St. Mary’s High in Perth Amboy, graduating in 1948 with the Mathematics Medal and a baseball scholarship to Seton Hall College.
A highlight at St. Mary’s was an 85-foot basketball shot that later appeared in Ripley’s Believe It or Not. In his 2 year service in the Army Charley was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division after which he graduated from Seton Hall in 1955.

In addition to playing baseball a St. Mary’s and Seton Hall he also played for the Fords Silverstreaks, Raritan Ramblers, McKinney Oilers, A.J. Lance Association, Red Bank Giants, Metuchen AA, 39th Infantry at Fort Dix and the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg. In basketball Charley played for the 82nd Airbourne Diversity and the Metuchen YMCA.

Basketball and Baseball soon gave way to golf after Charley’s “most Important Day of His Life” when he married his “favorite redhead”, Carol Patricia Hanley of Metuchen, NJ on October 4,1958. Charley and Carol celebrated their 50th anniversary at the Mays Landing Golf Club in 2008, along with their son, Chip Germain (Linda), their Grandson Maximilian and many friends and relatives. The next “most important” event in his life was “adoption day” on June 1, 1972 when son Chip joined the family.

Charley’s business career began as an insurance investigator (Retail Credit Co.) and Salesman (Mutual of New York) before his love of sports led to journalist positions with the Elmira Star Gazette, South Orange News Record and The Catholic Star Herald. He retired in 2001 after 10 years with the Fort Dix Post. In 1970 Charley won the Atlantic City Plaque as the New Jersey Sports Writers Associations Sports Writer of the Year. He also won numerous awards from New Jersey Press Association and US Armed Forces Journalism awards for feature writing and photography. He had two one-man photography shows at the Fort Dix Arts Center.

Formerly of Medford Lakes Charley and Carol moved to Mays Landing so he could be on the golf course. Anyone who knew Charley knew of his love for golf. An avid golfer for over 60 years Charley’s main golf awards include; Club Champion at the Willingboro Country Club 1979, House of Charity Championship 1982, Philadelphia Open Amateur Senior Championship 1983, New Jersey Public Links Championship 1986 and numerous charity tournaments.

After 80 years Charley said “I have to be one of the luckiest of men…..born in Brooklyn and in 1949 pitching to the Boys of Summer at Ebbets Field….The great years of baseball, basketball and golf…a wonderful marriage to a wonderful woman with an outstanding son and fabulous grandson…fortunate to have good health and seeing the great advances in science computers, cameras, medical imaging and 3-d television…having met many favorite people like Floyd Patterson, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Dr. Raymond Damadion, Sister Grace Nolan, Vic Damone and numerous others throughout a journalistic career. It has certainly been a wonderful life”.

A viewing will be held on Friday, March 16 from 5-8 PM at the Boakes Funeral Home, 6050 Main St., Mays Landing, where prayers and reflections will be shared at 7 PM. A second viewing will be held on Saturday, March 17, 10-11 AM at the Church of St. Katharine Drexel, 6075 West Jersey Ave., Egg Harbor Twp., where a Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 AM. Burial will follow at the Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery in Estell Manor.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. John of God Community Services, 1145 Delsea Drive, Westville, NJ 08043 or online at www.sjogcs.org.