Vining, Charles Andrew

[Spock]

My father, while still with us, is not expected to last much longer. I am hoping that, if his condition improves enough, he will be able to read what others think of him before he leaves us for good.

He was in almost constant communication with a wide variety of people, both his old ship mates, and those he met personally or online while researching his genealogy. I have send out emails to all those I know of letting them know about this forum with the hopes that my family and I can learn more about the man none of us knew well enough.

[Added]
Charles A. Vining died around 2100, 10 August 2004.

_________________

PLEASE, only post remembrances in this topic, no condolences. If you wish to post condolences, please make a separate topic just for that.

[Kordava]

Hi
I was not as fortunate as some of you to know Charles in person. We met through our interest in our family name.
I always found Charles to be bright and friendly. Always interested in helping us find our cousin's and bringing us all together every chance he could. He and I never quite made the positive connection to make us cousin's officially but we felt like cousins and accepted it as so.
I had so wanted to meet up with Charles and June some time. Junes side of the family did tie in with mine and Charles sent the records to go with mine and further my research.
I feel we will all be losing a wonderful person and a help mate in our research.
Hoping for the best as that's the only way I know. My Prayers are for God to do what he has planned in Charles life. I pray for the family and know that God in his wisdom will carry them through whatever that plan is.
Thank you for keeping me posted as with all of us and for caring about his friends as he did. God bless you all and go with you through this trying time.
Janice

[AlanS-AT2]

I joined the VAH9 radio shop when they returned from the north Atlantic cruise. I remember Chief Vining as a serious and sober person who was more of an administrator than a technician. He was not a joke or story teller but did enjoy a good joke. and had a laugh that made others laugh.

I had duty one weekend and he invited me to his house to help drive a well in the Florida sand. The "pounder" was a huge piece of lead at the intersection of two. One pipe fit down in the pipe that was being driven and the cross pipe was picked up an driven down by the two people sinking the well. We were making good progress when I pulled up to high and drove it down on the chiefs foot. The incident broke his toe. Years later I wrote about it and he could not remember who the other person was on the "pounder".

The Chief's trademark was that pipe. It kept him busy most of the time. Great care was taken in cleaning, filling, tamping down the tobacco and then lighting ... and relighting..... and relighting. We always knew he was around because the sucking sound was quite loud. That Sherlock Holmes styled pipe was the only one I remember him having.

The chief is well remembered by all of us who knew him. I'm sure this forum will awaken other memories of him.

I wish him comfort and serenity in the days ahead.

Alan Stevens

[Spock]

It's funny how separation can cause some memories to fade yet others stay sharp and clear. I joined the Navy before I even left High School and never lived with my parents after I graduated, so many things have faded due to lack of contact.

One thing I remember is the excitement all of us used to feel when the Chief would come home from a cruise. Part of it was that he always brought home some really unique gifts for us all from his visits to foreign ports but part of it was also that he was home at last.

For some reason though, he seemed more interested in mom than in us kids ... at least for the first day or so. :twisted:

[Spock]

Summer of 1976

I remember when I got commissioned. I waited a while for dad, in full Navy Chiefs whites, to leave the building and make his way to a side door. I went to the door with my hat off and opened it to look outside. A young enlisted man was standing there and immediately saluted me.

Fortunately, I wasn't covered.

As he moved off, looking for his next victim, my father walked into range. I put my cover on, walked out of the building, and returned his salute. I can't remember him looking prouder as I handed him the requisite silver dollar for being the first to receive a salute from a brand new Ensign. I had chosen one minted in 1924, his birthday.

[punkin8tor]

As his granddaughter, I have a few varied memories. Most of all, I remember when I would hug him the scent that was always near (I guess now I would equate that with his pipe!)
Now, every time I smell pipe tobacco, it reminds me of all those hugs and the few times we shared

[Spock]

This just in from W. J. Ham (seems I've made the registration process too hard )

I wanted to share the following. VAH-9 had sent a detachment to Andrews AFB (I think it was) and we were participating in an air show. Two of our brave pilots concocted a scheme to do a fancy landing. Both were in the pattern to shoot a touch and go. The first one came in to touch down and the second one PASSED OVER the first A3, touching down IN FRONT of the first A3. The second plane continued on a fast roll out and the first one slowed. When we all saw this developing, I guess we all thought that the pilot's didn't see each other. Our maintenance chief and Chief Vining started hollering and shouting and waving their arms, frantically trying to do SOMETHING, I don't know what. Boy, were we all sheepish when we found out that the GRAY GHOSTS has planned this whole escapade.

We were on deployment at Incerlik AFB in Adana, Turkey. The Radio Shop gang lived in a tent that we had furnished with a fireplace (stacked cinder blocks) and electricity (With cable we cut out of a building project on base) and some ingenuity. One night the duty truck came roaring in to the camp and everyone bailed out. An AP truck showed up about 1 minute later a Sargent got out and demanded to know who was driving the truck. A little voice from somewhere in the dark said, "Nobody, we were all in the back." We received a stern lecture from the Chief about acting the fool, but there was a little smile behind it.

[Spock]

Charles A. Vining died around 2100, 10 August 2004.

[Spock]

From one of Chuck's many friends:

May peace be with him. He has well earned it.

Please pass my condolences to all the family, but keep a chunk of them for yourself. You have been wonderful in your care of Chuck and your progress reports of his condition.

God bless you,
Buddy Yates

[Spock]

From another of Chuck's friends:

Another great war fighter has joined the Staff of the Supreme Commander.

He helped a bunch of kids become the men we are today. For that, I will be eternally grateful.

GENE MATHEWS, AQCS, USN RETIRED

[Spock]

God bless him and keep him. So sorry to hear the news. May you and your family find peace knowing he is going to a better place.

Jack Edwards (old shipmate VAH-9)

[Spock]

Sorry to hear about your loss may God give the family peace and comfort.

Travis Pence
VAH 9 (1969-1973)

[Spock]

I am so sorry. May God be with you and your family ...

[Spock]

Our sympathies go out to you and your family. The memories of him
will keep him alive in your hearts forever. Yes, he is at peace.

Alan & Jean Stevens

[Spock]

Just got back from visiting my mom last night and slept quite soundly when I was finally able to collapse into bed.

It was surrealistic being home, knowing that dad wouldn't walk out of his room at any moment. I was actually able to get my mother to laugh a couple of times, mostly by harassing her about something and allowing my daughter to hit me for it "because mom told me to telepathically!"

It is instructional to finally learn how much they cared for each other. Several sets of papers came to light while I was there that I'm sure helped shorten his life, yet mom never knew of them until after his death. Now I have them and must decide what to do with them. Copies of some of them will probably go out to some of his grand children as a reminder of all my parents did for them and as concrete evidence of how much they were loved. The rest will probably get locked away for my children to decide what to do with them.

It is also nice to know that so many people thought so highly of him. He had a genealogical web site I did not even know of. Pretty good for someone that I introduced to computers not that long ago. All his doing, I can take no credit for it, but it is still something more about him I didn't know before.

[Jaxie]

I speak for all of the members of the Vining Website when I say how much we will miss Chuck and his never ending knowledge of the Vinings.

Chuck was always a phone call or email away to answer any questions and to explain something we did not understand. Many times I sat on my front porch while talking to Chuck on the phone and trying to understand the ends and outs of genealogy. It may seem easy, but until you get involved you just don't know how confusing it can be. Chuck would patiently explain to me who was who and where they fit into this giant puzzle.

I had the pleasure to meet chuck and June at a Vining reunion a few years back. I very much enjoyed meeting them and spending the better part of the day with each of them.

I know for one, I will miss Chuck. He was a good man.

My thoughts and prayers go out to each and every member of his family.

[Spock]

The official obituary as appeared on page 6A of the Lake City Reporter:

Charles Andrew Vining, 80, died Tuesday (August 10, 2004) at the Lake City Veterans Hospital.

He was born in Sanford, Florida and was a career Aviation Electronics Technician with the US Navy for over 32 years, and was a member of the Navy's elite pistol team. Mr. Vining was a former member of the Congregational Christian Church of Sanford, and was as avid genealogical researcher of his family in Florida and Southern Georgia.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Billie June Landry-Vining of Lake City; his daughter, Eleanor Gayle Stockton, and her husband Greg, of Lufkin, TX; three sons; Charles Martin Vining and wife, Gillian of Annapolis, MD, Richard Bryan Vining of Sanford, and Kenneth Wayne Vining of Woodbridge, VA; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He is preceded by a brother Rufus, and three sisters; Gertrude, Carol, and Ethel. Mr. Vining will receive a military honors service with the Navy when his cremains are scattered at sea.

Arrangements by VETERANS CREMATION & BURIAL (800-467-7580)

There are actually 7 great-grandchildren. Another was born just before he died.

[Spock]

I have updated the first post to include my fathers retirement picture.

[Ol Doc]

We first met Chuck and then June after my husband's Aunt, Estelle Lencses, passed away in January of 1993. A few weeks afterward, we picked up the mail at her apartment and there was a letter from Cousin Charles concerning a genealogical question. I wrote back to let him know the lady had passed away and thought that would be the end. Chuck wrote back. Expressed condolences and offered to help if we were continuing in the genealogy files she had amassed. We continued to correspond and then my husband got sick and we had to contemplate a move from South Florida up to Lake City. We never lost touch with Charles.

We found out shortly after moving to Lake City that he was making periodic trips to the VA Medical Center in Gainesville. He was driving from Blountstown (and later from Marianna) over to Lake City and then hanging a right to go down I-75 for an overnight stay in a motel so he could keep his morning appointment. He arranged to stop by the house on one such trip, so we could finally meet this most interesting and informative genealogical cousin-ly contact. He had also become a friend. The next day he stopped by again, on his way home and he had with him a large box of barbecue chipped beef covered with sauce - a weakness he confided - which he was not supposed to be eating. He munched on it the entire way home. I doubt June saw any of the feast. Due to the length of the drive, Charles and June later moved to Lake City to be closer to Gainesville and he also started seeing the doctors at the Lake City VA Medical Center.

We were enriched by knowing Charles and June. He was enthusiastic about meeting new cousins. He would make a trip to the library in Homerville, Georgia - to do research. He'd hit the family reunions when he could and always -always - Always was willing to share of his vast store of knowledge about the family connections. He knew more about the Vining Genealogy than anybody I ever met.

June has said that she was glad they were able to be in Lake City for the while they lived here before Charles passed. He got to meet more of his cousins and fellow genealogical adventurers living here than he had before.

We miss him so much - it seems like a light has gone out. But I'm almost sure that he is now happily searching out those elusive first Vinings whose origins were shrouded in the mystery of the past and he is now confirming what he could only surmise before. And, I'll also venture to say that most of what he surmised before was proved to be pretty darned accurate!

[Hootowl57]

In the few short years of my naval career, I remember Chief Vining well. Especially when in the "Med." You could count on seeing him with his camera, or hear that pipe make strange noises as he struggled to smoke a bowl of tobacco right down to the last.
Years have caused both sharp and faded memories in all of us, but the Chief turned a bunch of boys into men, for which we all can thank him.
Near his life's end I had a few opportunities to visit him and June in Florida and I will always remember how excited he was to see us Hoot Owls as we descended upon his home. How his eyes would sparkle.
For all he did for all of us, I am grateful.
God bless the Chief!!!!!!

[Uhura]

It is still difficult for me to write about my Grandfather. I loved him so much... I didn't get to see him very many times in my childhood but he made a huge impression on me. I got to see him more & know him more after I was married. He became a true Grandfather to my husband. For hours they would disappear into the garage discussing guns, ammunition, WWII, and a myriad of other things. They were two peas in a pod. They even made a "gun run" of sorts in Granddad's later years to sell some of his guns so Grandma would not have to worry about them being in the garage. (I think she was worried all the "gun stuff" would spontaneously combust or something...) It was as much a blow to Donnie when he passed as it was for me. We certainly miss him!! Will post some fond memories another time...just dipping my toe in the water...it wasn't too bad. Can handle some more another time. It is still incredibly hard after all this time...

[Spock]

I have been slowly going through those bits and pieces left to me when my father passed away back in 2004 and came across a few things he had sent me via email. I thought I would post them in here in the hopes that they would help someone else or at least make us think of the impermanence of those around us.

The first item, which is admittedly old news now, may prove useful again in the future as long as it does not become lost amongst the clutter.

An email about John Kerry

The next is typical of many of those things he sent me that I immediately deleted. Some I even complained about because he was "wasting Internet Bandwidth". Now I wish I had them all.

You are so blessed

The last one I will post right now is an MS Word document. If you don't have or don't want any Microsoft products, you can find a free integrated package that does the same job in only a slightly different manner at http://openoffice.org/

The Chain of Command