Charles was born on Nov. 14, 1937, in Staunton to Anne Alvis and William J. Bodie Sr.

His early years were in Staunton, Augusta County, where he attended Stonewall Jackson Elementary School. About 10 years later, his family moved to Camp Perry, just outside of Williamsburg, where he attended high school at Matthew Whaley.

He always had a deep love of history, especially that of the South. He attended Hampden Sydney College for two years, then transferred to the College of William and Mary where he graduated with a major in government and a minor in history. He taught social studies at James Blair High School in Williamsburg, then attended graduate school at the Indiana University at Bloomington where he received a doctoral degree in 1975 for his dissertation, “View of Africa in the African-American Press.”

He met his wife Adrienne Ines Hall at IU where she was studying for a master’s degree in French. They married at the Wren Chapel in Williamsburg on June 12, 1965.

In the mid-1970s, the Bodies moved back to Virginia where he worked for a short time for Colonial Williamsburg. But they had bigger dreams to fulfill. Inspired by the popular “back-to-the-land movement,” they took a class on how to build a passive solar home. In 1981, they purchased land in Kerrs Creek just outside of Lexington where they constructed their own home that not only sheltered the family, but also a couple of horses, a herd of Angora goats they raised for many years, plus several cats and dogs. Like his father, Charles was an avid gardener, growing most of the family’s produce and learning the skills of beekeeping.

After completing the house, he took the helm of the Valley Conservation Council in Staunton as the first executive director. He also served as the director of the Rockbridge Area Conservation Council, was active in the community as a volunteer firefighter in Kerrs Creek and taught literacy at the Rockbridge Regional Jail.

He was a classically trained pianist and in later years taught himself how to play a pipe organ. Like his mother, he served as a church organist, working for some time at the Bethesda Presbyterian Church in Rockbridge Baths.

Returning to his love of history, he taught U.S. History in Stuart Hall in Staunton, and Western Civilization at VMI as an adjunct professor. He freelanced as an historian, receiving three grants from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities that funded the research and compilation of manuscript guides for Virginia’s westcentral history. The first guide covered the manuscript collections of Rockbridge County, and garnered an achievement award from the American Association of State and Local History. The second two guides covered the manuscripts of the Allegheny Highlands and the Roanoke Valley.

With three manuscript publications to his credit, Charles made a proposal to the Rockbridge Historical Society: to write a book that would detail the comprehensive history of Rockbridge County. He was awarded the contract by the RHS in 2003, and dedicated himself over the next six years to extensive research, writing and rewriting. After a period of editing and production, “Remarkable Rockbridge” was published in 2011.

Next, he undertook his second book that would tell the story of one of Virginia’s least known governors, James McDowell, but who as Charles said “was one of the people from Rockbridge County who helped to shape this country. “James McDowell of Virginia: The Perils of an Antebellum Southern Reformer” was published by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2022.

Charles leaves behind his wife Adrienne Bodie of Lexington; their son Matthew Marshall Bodie and his partner Laurie Niemeyer of Ft. Meyers, Fla.; grandsons Vaughn Marshall Bodie and Robert Vincent Bodie of Charlottesville; greatgrandson Carson Gaines Bodie; his sister Sylvia Bodie Howell in Lexington, S.C., sister Sallie Virginia Bodie in Seattle, Wash.; plus many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Anne Alvis and William J. Bodie Sr.; his older sister Jeanne Bodie Sizemore, formerly of South Boston; and older brother William J. Bodie Jr., formerly of Williamsburg.

A graveside service was held Monday, Dec. 1, at The Meadow.

Arrangements were by Harrison Funeral Home and Crematory. NG