Charles Henry "Chico" LaForce's Obituary
Charles Henry "Chico" LaForce was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility. Charles was born on June 1, 1954 at U.S. Naval Hospital, Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. His parents were Herman and Nellie LaForce. Charles was raised in Bayou La Batre, AL. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life. Growing up in the LaForce household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Charles was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Charles was raised with two siblings. He had an older sister, Linda, and a older brother, Allen. Charles was constantly involved in activities with his brother and sister. Charles and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Charles was always consistently loyal to his family, and his family bonds were extremely important to him. As a young child, Charles was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Charles developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Charles took part in football. He was a part of numerous church organizations. In his spare time he liked fishing and family time. However, what Charles enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his family. While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Charles as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Alba High School in 1972. Charles was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional abilities, he was able to learn much through observation. Charles always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him. College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Charles handled them well. Returning to school as an adult, husband, as well as a new father added to the challenges of college, but Charles handled it all beautifully. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Charles was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Charles well during his college experience. He earned his Associates degree in nursing from Bishop State Community College. Always considered to be a solid friend, Charles was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Charles was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Charles to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were mostly family. On February 14, 1987 Charles exchanged wedding vows with Carol Ann Sewell at the St. Margaret's Catholic Church of Bayou La Batre, AL. Compassionate and devoted to Carol, Charles held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Carol and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy. Charles brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. March 17, 1991, Charles and Carol welcomed their only daughter, Lauren Elizabeth. She quickly became her father's pride and joy. He was a good parent, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. He was an excellent father. Charles greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Charles enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Charles was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was registered nurse. He was employed for 30 years in nursing, last 15 years in California and was a First Mate on a supply boat before he became a nurse. Charles worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done. Charles liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Charles always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were spending time with family and being outside. Charles was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others. Charles was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of St. Margaret's for his entire life. During that time, he was a CCD teacher. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them. Charles enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Charles appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Charles always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg TN and California. Charles was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Charles’s favorites was Marley, yellow Labrador. They were best friends for 5 years. His family was rounded out by his west highland terrier, Lexi and cat, Sally. When Charles’s retirement finally arrived in 2015, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. His new life involved returning to Bayou La Batre, Alabama to be home. In retirement, he found new pleasure in family and being outside. Even in retirement, Charles continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled. Charles Henry "Chico" LaForce passed away on December 5, 2016 at Home in Bayou La Batre, AL. Fought a long, strong fight against heart disease and newly diagnosed end stage renal disease. He is survived by his wife, Carol; daughter Lauren and brother Allen. Services were held at Serenity Funeral Home. Charles was laid to rest in Oddfellow Cemetery in Bayou La Batre, AL. Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Charles Henry "Chico" LaForce. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.
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