Charles L. "Charlie" "Bing" Bingham

Charles L. "Charlie" "Bing" Bingham, of Battle Creek, MI




Charlie, age 72, died unexpectedly on Monday afternoon, September 14, 2015 at his residence.


Charlie was born in Battle Creek on October 18, 1942 and was the son of Elmer and Alma (Stults) Bingham. He graduated from Harper Creek High School in 1960 and remained a lifetime area resident. He served his country honorably for six years as a Sergeant in the United States Army Reserves. Charlie was employed at the Kellogg Company of Battle Creek for 20 years and later worked and retired from Mead Paper Company of Kalamazoo with 13 years of service as a supervisor.

He was an avid fisherman, enjoyed hunting and camping, regular Euchre tournaments, playing pranks, and cruising around on his moped. Charlie loved to collect watches, and spent many days at Shipshewana perfecting "the art of the deal" while selling knives as a vendor. He was always the life of the party and knew how to make anyone smile with one of his many, many stories. You could always count on Charlie to be the first one there to help you, no questions asked, but in exchange he got to tease you mercilessly and expected you to give it right back to him. No matter what he was doing he always made his family and friends his biggest priority, which is one of the many reasons he was so dearly loved. This past June Charlie and the love of his life Gloria, celebrated their 50th year of marriage. Together they enjoyed traveling, camping in the U.P., winters in Florida, and spending many wonderful evening's playing cards and sharing meals with family and friends.

Charlie was united in marriage to Gloria G. (nee: Winther) in Battle Creek on June 19, 1965. Surviving is his wife of 50+ years, Gloria; his two sons, Charles R. "Chip" (Kim) Bingham of Battle Creek and Christopher S. (Steve Recker) of Grand Rapids, MI and his brother, James R. (Jocelyn) Bingham of Calgary, Canada. Charlie was preceded in death by his parents.

A Memorial Service to celebrate Charlie's life will be held on Sunday, September 27th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Yarrow Golf and Conference Resort, 10499 48th Street, Augusta, Michigan 49012. Ceremony and remarks will begin at 3:30 p.m. with dinner and socializing immediately following. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Charlie's honor may be directed to the Humane Society of South Central Michigan, 2500 Watkins Road, Battle Creek, MI 49015. Personal messages for the family and/or favorite memories of Charlie may be placed at www.farleyestesdowdle.com