James Charter

James Roger Charter, eldest son of Thelma (Lanham) and Roger E. Charter died on Easter Sunday. Born on April 6, 1935 in Northport, Michigan, he left after high school to work for Dow in Midland. In the early 1960’s, he moved to San Diego and in 1979, he married Kay Charter, who survives. Jim’s great passion was travel. In 1983, he and Kay sold their San Diego home and traveled across North America for three years. They then settled in northern Michigan, ultimately purchasing 47 acres of land in Omena to create Charter Sanctuary for birds. Jim loved planting things and watching them grow. For the following two decades, he spent many hours improving their land for the benefit of birds, butterflies and other wildlife. In 2001, he was co-founder of Saving Birds Thru Habitat.

Along with his wife, Jim is survived by his four children: Stephen James (Ellie) Charter, Shelley Jean (Kerry) DeBlois, Scott Jonathan Charter and Suellen Joy Charter; a stepson, Jeff (Becky) Kingery, 7 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by brothers Alan (Pat), Wayne (Kathryn) and Richard (Sherri) Charter. He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers: Earl, Frederick and Gaylon.

A celebration of his life will be held in the summer. Memorial gifts may be sent to Saving Birds Thru Habitat, P. O. Box 288, Omena, MI 49674. Please visit www.lifestorytc.com to sign the guestbook and share your thoughts and memories with the family. The family chose Life Story Funeral Home, Traverse City.