Charles “Chuck” Ash – The Coastland Times
Charles “Chuck” Ash, 50, of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, died suddenly on December 1st, 2021. Charles was born on March 12e, 1971, in Bluefield, West Virginia to Robert and Judy Ash, and older sisters Janice and Jill. He attended Lees McCrae College and the University of South Carolina at Hilton Head.
Ardent, globally traveling and loving, Charles was a passionate father, videographer and photographer, firefighter for the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department, world traveler and kitesurf enthusiast. Everything for Charles brought back to the water with his kite. As much as he loved water, the mountains were a special place for Charles. He grew up in Beech Mountain, North Carolina and has had many ski adventures in the Appalachians as well as around the world.
More than anything, Charles loved his children Stephanie and Griffin.
Charles co-produced a best-selling kitesurfing instructional video, “The Way to Fly”, which is still sold today. He has also created numerous brand and product promotional videos for numerous kite companies throughout his career and thus traveled the world. He had a knack for directing a scene that made everything so easy for his subjects. His talents as a photographer were legendary and his images have featured in the pages of more than a few publications and magazines.
Charles was a dedicated member of the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department. He previously served as a volunteer firefighter from January 2012 and joined as a support member on October 6.e, 2020. Charles has been selected by his fellow firefighters as “Rookie of the Year” in 2020, which has been an incredible honor for him. He was the fire department’s resident photographer and licensed drone operator. Charles received his FAA UAS commercial drone pilot certification on November 3e, 2020.
Charles was predeceased by his father, Robert “Bob” Ash, his maternal grandparents, Tony and Helen Leeber, and his paternal grandparents, Herbert and Charlotte Ash.
Charles is survived by his daughter and son, Stephanie Naegle and husband Bradley of Kingsport, TN, and Griffin Ash and mother Kendra Ash of Southern Shores, NC; his mother, Judy Ash; her sisters Janice Welsh, Jill Ash and her husband James Girolamo; nephews and nieces, Nicholas, Katherine, Michael, Elizabeth and AJ; cousins Jason Leeber and Shannon Leeber; girlfriend, Emilie Macdonald; longtime friends, Jon Gates and Dimitri Maramenides; Elderly family from Beech Mountain, NC, and countless other close friends.
A special memorial with the kitesurfing community to celebrate his life will be held in 2022, pending details. Please visit the Gallop Funeral Service website for memorial service details.
In lieu of flowers, an education fund is being created for Griffin Ash and donation details will be available.
Special thanks to the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department which was a special community for Charles. Please express your condolences to the family through the online registry at www.gallopfuneralservices.com. Gallop Funeral Services, Inc. was responsible for the arrangements.
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