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Charles Baird, 83, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, died Thursday, October 4, 2012, at Spring Arbor of Hendersonville. He was born August 4, 1929, in Columbus, Ohio.

He was the son of Esther Baird and Reverend Charles Baird, an Episcopal minister who served in the 1940s at a parish in Pomeroy. Charles played on the Pomeroy High School football team and graduated from high school in 1947. He attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and graduated with degrees in English and History in 1951. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy to serve his country during the Korean War.

Charles met his future wife, Nancy (Hall) Baird on a blind date while stationed in Boston. They married on December 22, 1955, and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Charles achieved a Masters in Education from the University of Cincinnati. He eventually moved his family to Madison, Wisconsin, to accept a teaching position with the Madison Metropolitan School District. He achieved a Masters in School Counseling degree from UW-Whitewater in the early 1970s, and he subsequently worked for the Madison schools for many years.

Upon retirement, Charles and Nancy became enamored with the warm climate and hospitality of the south. They retired to Etowah, North Carolina, in June of 1996, and for many years he was very involved serving with his wife at their church, the Hendersonville Church of God. Charles played the piano for his church for a number of those years, and he could often be found playing numbers by ear, using his musical gift to worship the Lord.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy Baird of Hendersonville, NC, David Baird of Portage, Wisconsin, John Baird of Madison, Wisconsin, Katherine Chavez of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Mary Lee Morkved of California, along with eight grandchildren.

There will be a Celebration of Life service at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 17, at the Hendersonville Church of God. Private family burial will be held later at the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain, NC.

Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011.

To sign the online guestbook, visit www.shulerfuneralhome.com.

Shuler Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements.