October 21, 87, 
William Love Charlton, formerly of Goldsboro, died in Raleigh on October 21, 2019. Born on September 24, 1932 in Lynchburg, Virginia to Reverend David Wayland Charlton and Charlotte Savory Charlton, Bill spent his early years in Maryland, Virginia and Manteo, North Carolina. While at the Outer Banks, he enjoyed playing a part in the outdoor drama, The Lost Colony. A few months before his senior year in high school, Bill moved with his family to Goldsboro. He graduated from Goldsboro High School in 1950 having won awards for excellence in football, basketball and baseball.
While playing baseball in high school, he earned the nickname “Ace, the Golden Glove of Third Base.” He attended Guilford College in Greensboro where he played third base and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education in 1954. After earning his Master’s Degree in Education in 1958 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ace became a die-hard Tarheels fan. He returned to school years later to earn his Six-Year Advanced Education Degree from East Carolina University in Greenville in 1973.
Bill was a life-long champion of public education, and it is not surprising that his early career was spent in the field of coaching. He was first a football coach and teacher at Guilford High School where he earned Coach of the Year Award for Guilford County in 1956. He then taught and coached at Jordan-Matthews High School in Siler City where he was named Outstanding Coach of the Year for three consecutive years, 1961-1964. In 2018, he was inducted into the Jordan-Matthews High School Athletics Hall of Fame.
He moved back to Goldsboro in 1965 and began a long and distinguished career with the Goldsboro City Schools. He served as a principal in several different places including middle and elementary schools. He chose to spend most of his career in elementary schools because he wanted children to learn to love school through their first experiences.
Service to his church and community were top priorities for Bill. As a Charter Member of the Goldsboro Downtown Lions Club, he served in different leadership positions for over 50 years. He also served faithfully in his church of 54 years, St. Luke United Methodist Church. In that place, he taught Sunday School for all 54 years, served on the Administrative Board and became a lay speaker.
Bill is survived by his wife of sixty-five years Mary Ann Herring Charlton and their children, Herb Charlton and wife Jean, LuAnn Charlton, Preston Charlton and wife Maureen. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Grace Charlton Maloney and husband Cliff, Katie Charlton and Claire Charlton. Additional survivors include niece Joy Charlton Page and husband David, nephew Dave Charlton and wife Debbie, nephew Ralph Charlton and wife Bridgit, great nieces Lindsay Page and husband Martin Murray, Charlie Page, great nephew Bryce Charlton and great, great niece Arizona James Murray. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Reverend David W. Charlton, Jr. and his great nephew James David Page.
A service of Thanksgiving and Resurrection will be Saturday, October 27 at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Goldsboro at 11 am. Visitation in the Fellowship Hall will follow the service. The family requests that memorials be sent to St. Luke United Methodist Church, 1608 E. Pine Street, Goldsboro, NC 27530 or St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 4801 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC 27609 or Lions International, 300 W. 22nd Street, Oak Brook, IL 60523-8842.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.seymourfuneralhome.com.