Charles William Rushing

Departing this life on February 1, 2023, Charles William Rushing was a fourth generation Floridian born on May 9, 1939, to William Wesley, timberman and farmer, and Audrey Bethel (Garrett) Rushing, homemaker and volunteer. Although born in Blountstown, the vast majority of his youth was lived in DeFuniak Springs, Florida surrounded by multiple generations of extended family. Growing up in rural, undeveloped Walton County, Charles William hunted the vast woods, fished the bay, water-skied the lakes, dominated turkey shoots with his dad, tinkered with cars, and occasionally outsped local deputies only to arrive home and find them on the porch chatting with his mother and daddy. Raised with a strong work ethic, Charles delivered prescriptions and worked the counter at Fisher’s Drugstore, drove a hearse for Cleary’s Funeral Home, and miscellaneous odd jobs during high school. Most memorably, he hit the airwaves in 1955 as WZEP’s first rock & roll DJ. After completing his senior year at Walton County High in 1958, Charles was off to Paris Island for Marine Corps basic training. Originally recruited as a clarinetist for the Marine Corps band, Corporal Rushing’s affinity for electronics and radar was identified, leading to a strongly encouraged request for reassignment which ultimately benefited him professionally and personally for the rest of his life. Following his 4-year stint in the Corps, Chuck settled in Tallahassee and began working and attending college on the GI Bill. Chuck graduated cum laude in Criminology from Florida State University in 1974, thereby launching a lifelong passion for and commitment to training professional, ethical, effective law enforcement officers. His first contribution in this pursuit was producing police training films as a teaching assistant during his Master’s coursework. In 1975, Mr. Rushing found his slice of paradise at the newly established Lively Law Enforcement Academy (later renamed Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy) in Tallahassee, one of the original locations certified to offer training to law enforcement agencies in a six-county region. Mr. Rushing provided instruction, coordinated curriculum, and administered at the academy for the next 29 years until his retirement in 2002. He began with 3 classrooms in an office plaza and ended with a 375-acre training complex consisting of an administrative building, training and instructional facilities, firearms ranges, driving ranges, on-site cafeteria, 64-bed housing facility, man-made lake, and more. As a Reserve officer with the Tallahassee Police Department from 1967-2011, Sgt. Rushing practiced what he preached. From patrolling Tennessee Street to running the FSU/FAMU football game shuttles to managing TPD’s school crossing guard program, Sgt. Rushing continued to mentor his former trainees beyond the academy as well as provide a role model for other officers on the street. Following his full retirement from the Academy and TPD, Chuck relished porch time, cups of coffee with family/friends, DIYing home projects, Gold Wing road trips, reading, westerns/documentaries, charting expenditures, and balancing checkbooks. But time with his grandchildren brought him the greatest joy by far. Charles William, Corporal Rushing, Mr. Rushing, Sgt. Rushing, Chuck, Daddy, Granddaddy was predeceased by his parents William Wesley and Audrey Bethel (Garrett) Rushing. Remaining to celebrate his life are his loving wife of almost 40 years, Sandra Ann (Holcomb); sister and brother-in-law Charlotte Audrey (Rushing) and James Gaspers (Scottsbluff, NE); daughter and son-in–law Tanja Annette (Rushing) and W. Stewart Clendinen (Tallahassee); son and daughter-in-law Charles William II and Casey Noelle (Collins) Rushing (Tallahassee); stepson Anthony David Jennings (Memphis, TN); grandchildren Carl Wesley and Haley Anne (Carpenter) Clendinen (Huntsville, AL), Rebecca Anne Clendinen (Kingston, ON, CA), Braeleigh Jeanette Rushing (Tallahassee), Ava Pearl Rushing (Tallahassee), and great-granddaughter Adalyn James Clendinen (Huntsville, AL); niece Michelle Audrey (Alan) Salsbery (Texas City, TX), nephew Michael William (Lisa) Gaspers and great niece Audrey Ellen Gaspers (Scottsbluff, NE). The visitation on Sunday, February 5, 2023 from 4pm-6pm and the funeral service on Monday, February 6, 2023 at 10:30am will both be held at Bevis Funeral Home in Tallahassee followed by burial at the Tallahassee National Cemetery at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Parkinson’s Foundation or Big Bend Hospice. –”912 Tallahassee…signing off.”— Rocky Bevis and Kelly Barber of Bevis Funeral Home (850-385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com) are assisting the Rushing family with their arrangements.

Tributes

Charles William Rushing

May 9, 1939 - February 1, 2023