Charles (Chuck) E. Hadley, 73, of Hartford, died Thursday, July 13, 2023, at Corewell Health Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph.
Charles was born on Aug. 2, 1949, the son of Elmer (Gene) and Betty Gene (Root) Hadley. He graduated from Hartford High School in 1967, and later attended Michigan State University.
Charles met his wife Linda (Peterson) Hadley on the beach of Lake Michigan while camping at Covert Park. The two married on Sept. 21, 1974. He worked as a truck driver in construction for Southwest transport which helped build many roads in Van Buren and Berrien counties, co-owned the Hadley Family Restaurant of Hartford for a short period, worked at Prudential as an insurance salesman, and finally ended his career working for many years as store manager at Auto Zone (Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, and South Haven) and then recruiter for the company.
Charles enjoyed his retirement years volunteering his time at the Hartford Bible Church which he loved. He took pride in cooking the monthly Men’s Breakfast, and helping with programs like the Jail Outreach, Sunday School, and Summer Vacation Bible School. He was an avid stamp collector over the years and his other hobbies included golfing, painting, and watching Chicago Cubs baseball. Seeing the Cubs win the World Series in 2016 was a lifelong dream of his.
Charles is survived by his wife of 48 years, Linda (Peterson) Hadley of Hartford; his children, Sarah Hadley (St. Joseph), Melissa Hadley and Greg O’Leary (Roselle, IL), and Brett Hadley (Hartford). He is also survived by his brother David and sister-in-law Debbie Hadley (Paw Paw), along with brothers- and sisters-in-law, Greg and Nancy Peterson (Hudsonville), Keith and Tommi Peterson (Sawyer), and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents Elmer and Betty Hadley, and brother-in-law Steve Peterson (Concord, NJ).
The family will be welcoming family and friends to a gathering of celebration of life on Sunday Aug. 6 at Hartford Bible Church. The visitation will be at 2 p.m., followed by a service at 3 p.m. with luncheon to follow. As per his wishes cremation has taken place. Burial will be at North Shore Memorial Gardens in Coloma, in a private ceremony with family at a later date. In Lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Hartford Bible Church, Grace Christian Schools, or charity of choice, per his wishes.