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- Charlie Robert Oaks, 79, of Newland, passed away Thursday, June 21, at Life Care of Banner Elk, NC.
He was born on March 17, 1939, in Avery County, NC to the late Charlie and Dorthy Gwyn Oaks of Elk Park, NC.
Rob grew up on Elk River during a time when Elk Park was a hot spot for railroad travelers. Tweetsie Railroad ran right through the heart of town, and as a small boy, he would daily await the train's passage, his patience often rewarded with a chocolate bar tossed from the train's engineer.
Rob was one to always be where the action is, and first jumped from Elk Falls at the age of eight, earning the respect of the "big boys" hanging around trying to work up the courage. Robert claimed he made nine jumps that first day, all from the top, and loved to tell the story.
For most of his life he worked for Mountain Electric Cooperative in Newland, NC, rising from right-of-way foreman to Manager of the Newland/Roan Mountain offices for several years until retirement. He loved climbing trees and spent his evenings after work and days off trimming trees for many years. Most weekends he spent at Watauga Lake. He loved water skiing, boating and camping. It was always a fun time at the lake that the whole family and friends enjoyed.
Rob loved collecting antiques and built a collection of nearly a thousand different clothes irons from the eighteenth and nineteenth century. He also restored hit-and-miss engines and enjoyed showing them at different motor shows in the southwest.
An avid reader, he and his friends began a club in high school dedicated to reading all and every book in the library, and after graduation kept it up, often reading up to five or six books in a single week.
Preceding him in death, in addition to his parents, was his grade school sweetheart and wife of 60 years, Shelby Jean (Estep) Oaks.
Robert was a member of the Crossnore Baptist Church and was honored to be a member of the Gideons for many years, and deeply respected its humble mission.
Charlie Robert will be sorely missed and remembered by more people than he could have realized, for if there ever lived a man that never met a stranger it was Rob, or Bob, or Charlie, or Robert; whatever name you knew him by, he would always leave you shaking your head with a smile.
He is survived by one daughter, Deborah Silver and husband Bobby, granddaughter Sommer Trivette, grandson Jordan Robert Silver, great granddaughter Tatum Cooke, sisters Marilyn Hughes and Patti Oxendine, and many other nieces, nephews and cousins, all loving him dearly.
Funeral services for Charlie Robert Oaks will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday June 26, 2018, at the Grandfather Chapel of Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home. The family will receive friends starting at 3 p.m. up until the service hour. Interment will follow in the Mollie Guinn Family Cemetery in Elk Park.
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1939 - 2018 (79 years)
