Charles Henry Gerstenecker, 82, of Collinsville, Ill., died Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, Ill.



Charles was born Jan. 21, 1930, the son of Charles and Frieda, nee Diepholz, Gerstenecker, one of seven children from this marriage.



Charles married the love of his life, Janice Carole, nee Lewandowski, Gerstenecker and from this marriage they had four sons. They include, James Michael Gerstenecker, Alan Lewis Gerstenecker, Charles Stanley Gerstenecker and Gary Steven Gerstenecker. Alan, Charles and Gary survive.



Charles, of Collinsville, Ill., was a retired Chief Master Sgt. of the U.S. Air Force, serving his country 27 years before his retirement.



His military career spanned three decades in which many of his assignments took him to Cold War assignments in Korea, Puerto Rico and Thailand. He served his country proudly as an aircraft mechanic in various climates, often taking TDY assignments in remote global locations from the frigid flight lines of Alaska and the jungles of Thailand where he kept F-4 Phantom fighters flying tactical missions over Vietnam. Each duty assignment took him away from his family, excluding the assignment to Puerto Rico from January 1966 to July 1969.



During his tour of duty in Puerto Rico - just years after the Cuban Missile Crisis - the U.S. fortified its bases in the Caribbean. Charles was called upon to serve in that ongoing endeavor.



Later in his career, Charles was part of the Inspector General team for the Air Force, as he and the IG Team would fly into bases unannounced and conduct inspections as Charles and others specialized in making sure the aircraft maintenance procedures were properly maintained.



Upon his retirement, Charles received his college degree in social work, an accomplishment that surprised many around him, as this feat revealed a softer side to the man who had managed his home as he did the enlisted men assigned to him.



Using that degree, Charles rose to the position of Nursing Home Administrator, a duty he held until his retirement at age 65.



Charles was an avid outdoorsman. In the fall, it was a family tradition to assemble his four sons, pack up the Winnebago and head off to remote locations in Michigan and Illinois for deer hunting. Charles had an uncanny ability to - year-in and year-out - take game on the first day of the season. He was a studied outdoorsman and hunter, but his sons knew he accomplished this so he could cook warm meals for them as they returned to the camper from the woodlands.



Charles was an avid, lifelong St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan. He reveled in each Cardinals victory and looked for better days with each loss. During his lifetime, Charles witnessed eight of the 11 Cardinals' World Series victories in his later years on television and earlier on the static-riddled AM radio as he worked his garden.



He managed his garden, well into his advanced years. The yard of his home was filled with black- and raspberry bushes, apple, peach and walnut trees. Last spring, he purchased a new peach tree, which was planted by his grandson, Jason. His home during the winter was filled with an assortment of plants, everything from cacti to palm trees.



Charles also loved to fish, and he did until his advanced years. In Puerto Rico, Charles spear fished Caribbean grouper; in Michigan, he fished northern pike, in Illinois and Missouri, he enjoyed catching, bluegill, bass, catfish and trout.



Charles is survived by three of his four sons, Alan Lewis Gerstenecker of Libby, Mont.; Lt. Col. Charles Stanley (Andrea) Gerstenecker of Bogota, Colombia, and Dr. Gary Steven (Lauri) Gerstenecker Ph.D., of Cleveland, Ohio.



Also surviving are 11 grandchildren, James, Jr., Jason, Nikki, Jarrod, Christiaan, Theodore, Brigid, Quinn, Sofia, Gottlieb and Augustus Gerstenecker, and two great-grandchildren, Alyssa and Gavin.



Also surviving are three of Charles siblings, which include Carol Curran of North Waterford, Maine, Charlotte Eckart and husband, Jim of Portland, Ore., and Joan Clark of Fulton, Mo. Also, surviving is beloved brother-in-law Louis Jackstadt of Collinsville, Ill. Charles loved to sit and share stories of World War II with Lou, and he would reciprocate of his post-war travels in the Air Force.



Charles was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Frieda; his wife, Janice; sisters, Fran Brett and Neva Mae Jackstadt; and brother, Harold; and recently deceased brother-in-law, Pete Clark.



Charles was a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, the Collinsville VFW Post and the B-58 Alumni Association. He also was a former Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 86 sponsored by Holy Cross Lutheran Church.



Visitation: Friends may call for Charles from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, at Herr Funeral Home in Collinsville, Ill.



Funeral: Funeral service for Charles will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Ill., with the Rev. Fred Kramer officiating. Entombment, with full-military honors, will follow at Sunset Hill Mausoleum, Glen Carbon, Ill.