Charles Edward Worthington Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Charles Edward Worthington, of Cadillac, Michigan, died peacefully on the morning of May 29, 2022. He was 90 years old. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Sharon (Schneeberger), daughters Tammy Burns and Linda Worthington, son Chris Worthington and his wife Heather, grandson Brandon Burns(US Army) and his wife Jo Ellen (US Army ret.), and great grandchildren Courtney, Trevin (US Navy) and Hailey, and a large extended family. He was preceded in death by his father, Henry Spencer Worthington, mother Ila Catherine (Summers) and brother Gene. Charlie was born in Lansing, Michigan, and also lived in Saline, Michigan and Mason, Michigan, where he graduated from high school in 1950. Immediately after graduation, Charlie went to work for the Oldsmobile division of General Motors at their Lansing, Michigan facility. In 1953, he was drafted into the US Army and spent his 2 years of service in Kansas and Colorado, mostly as a driver. Returning to GM, he worked in maintenance and assembly before spending several years at the GM Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan, driving cars on the various test tracks. Charlie then applied to the apprenticeship program and graduated to become an experimental assembler in Olds’s engineering department. There, he worked with other mechanics and engineers to develop and test Olds-specific features and components on GM cars. In the last few years of his 44.1 year career at GM, he moved into quality assurance in vehicle assembly. He retired in 1994. Upon retirement, Charlie and Sharon built a home near Paducah, Kentucky, where they lived on Kentucky Lake for many years. They continued to travel in their motor home, something they started with their kids. Later, they moved back to Michigan, settling first in Manton, then moving to Cadillac. Cars continued to be a big part of Charlie’s life, as he owned a 1993 40th Anniversary Edition Corvette, and helped a local auto enthusiast restore one of two 1972 Olds Indy 500 pace cars. Charlie’s knowledge, and connection to others in Olds engineering who had built the car were invaluable to the restoration. Spending the coldest weeks of winter in Florida became an annual escape, where Charlie frequently attended car shows. A life-long car guy, Charlie taught all of his children to maintain and repair their cars. Charlie was a member of the Disabled American Veterans, Manton Senior Center, American Legion Post 94 - Cadillac, UAW Local 652 of Lansing, and was an Amsoil dealer for many years. In his last years, Charlie suffered from Alzheimer’s, gradually losing his ability to drive and to live without professional care. He spent his last 6 months of life under the care of Hospice of Michigan Cadillac Chapter. While his memories faded and became more distant, he remained connected to the people he loved. Please direct memorials and donations to either Hospice of Michigan Cadillac Chapter or Manton Senior Center. There will be no funeral service or gathering at this time. An online guestbook is available at info@petersonfh.com.

Charles Edward Worthington

April 23, 1932 - May 29, 2022