Charles was raised very poor. His parents divorced when he was very young, and he was passed around from relative to relative in his youth. When he was about 16, his mother re-entered his life full time.
He entered the Army (under legal age) and participated on D-day as a GI through to the end of the war. Following his discharge, he had a successful career as a Pittsburgh police officer. Everyone knew him and liked him. When he passed away, even people he arrested came to pay their respects.