Born to Charles and Fymicia Sands of Rock Sound, Eleuthera on the 31st of March 1942, Charles was the second eldest son and third eldest child in what was to become a family of fourteen children. Charles spent his early years in Rock Sound and attended the All-Age School. Moving to New Providence was indeed advantageous for Charles as not only did he secure employment, but very soon met his life partner, Jasmine Bain.
Charles and Jasmine were married at St Georges Anglican Church on October 10th, 1962. They were blessed with five children and their marriage spanned an extraordinary 60 years. Charles was a loving and committed family man who enriched the lives of his wife, children, grandchildren and all who came into his home whether in New Providence or later in Grand Bahama. No matter where he lived, however, his childhood home of Eleuthera was near and dear to him.
Steadfast and hardworking, Charles never ceased to provide for his family. Colleagues and colleagues who became friends would attest over the years to his admirable work ethic and skill in every field he undertook. During much of his work life, he was a heavy equipment operator and a road builder. When not at work, he could be found fixing or building things around the house. He had an innate talent for working with his hands and took pleasure in making home improvements of all kinds.
He was an amazing cook, and it was a good thing as he taught his young wife her way around the kitchen. Charles loved to make the whole spectrum of Bahamian dishes. The kitchen was his kingdom, and he was the sovereign of souse!
Charles had an Incredible singing voice and music was like breathing for him: whether spirituals, hymns, country, Motown or blues, he could sing them to the rafters. No Christmas was complete without Nat King Cole’s entire album being sung on repeat and it was virtually impossible to distinguish one voice from the other. We are left to wonder if perhaps singing while cooking was the secret sauce!
Charles was also an avid animal and nature lover. If you got on his wrong side, he would remind you that he indeed loved animals much more than people most of the time. Sometimes you’d be left to wonder whether he was joking or not because he considered all pets part of the family. Duke, Duchess, Biscuit, Gravy, Boogie, Sexy, Reggae and the original queen of them all, JoJo, were more like adopted children than pets. Plants were tended, and fruits and vegetables grown were a source of pride and satisfaction. Whenever he could, fishing with his brother-in-law, ‘Wellie’, was a favourite pastime and the two worked hand in hand on numerous projects around their homes.
Friends and family alike either enjoyed or fell prey to his sense of humour. His jokes, delivered in the most straight faced, matter of fact way, would send you into side splitting, tear inducing, hyperventilating gales of laughter. He was so much fun to be around.
Upon reflection, the onset of dementia was perhaps gradual, but the effects of Alzheimer’s disease escalated rapidly for Charles and within a year of noticeable signs, he could no longer remember how to do the things that brought him and everyone around him so much joy nor the people who called him Daddy, Pa, Uncle Charles, ‘Chally’, Charles or ‘Scully’. Only Jasmine remained, his anchor to this life on Earth.
In December of 2020, his children brought him back home to live with them in New Providence. Charles spent his final years with his wife and granddaughter Danielle, in the home of his daughter, son-in-law and their daughters being loved, cared for, visited and surrounded by all the people he’d spent his life loving and caring for. A loving, giving nature was effortless for him, and he was an exemplar for his family. After a sudden shift in his health, he spent 20 days in hospital and passed away at 12:30am on March 9th at Doctor’s Hospital West.
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