Carl "Gary" Chambers
June 27, 1936 — September 12, 2024
Carl ‘Gary’ Chambers, 1936-2024
On a hot, summer day, Gary Chambers walked outside. “Push me, Granddad,” you could hear as one of his grandchildren led him to the swing set. After lifting his grandchild up into the swing, he would sit in a chair patiently pushing for hours.
“Granddad, can we go for a walk?” Our father would walk with his grandchildren anywhere they wanted to go. One of their favorite places was the local convenience store where he always treated them to a cold drink and candy.
Dad walked miles and miles with his grandchildren. And on those walks, he was never silent. He would weave wild, crazy stories about Injun Joe that would enrapt his grandchildren for hours. Oh, the tales he could tell! They were fantastic and filled with unbelievable happenings. Yet, you believed, and always wanted to hear more. Dad was a master storyteller.
The greatest story Dad ever told was of his own very real-life story.
Carl ‘Gary’ Chambers was born June 27, 1936, in Fairfield, Alabama to Charles ‘Charley’ William Chambers and Lois Elizabeth (Stubbs) Chambers. Gary was the second of twelve children-eight boys and four girls. Charley worked for the Tennessee Coal Iron and Railroad Co., Steel Works in Fairfield, Alabama as a Timekeeper. And while the Chambers family were not rich in the traditional sense, they were rich in love.
The stories our dad would tell about his childhood were so happy and fun. He and his siblings were up at sunrise and came home at dusk. Their house sat next to the ‘frog pond’ and dad spent hours there playing baseball, skipping rocks, and flying kites.
Dad attended Hueytown High School and graduated in 1954. He had a paper route from ninth grade through twelfth grade. Dad loved that paper route! He rode his bike up and down steep hills and would talk about the wheels crunching over the frosty ground in the winter and how hot it was in the summer.
After graduating from high school, Dad worked bagging groceries for A&P Grocery. He didn’t make much money and decided to go to college. With eleven siblings at home, Dad worked and paid his own way. He started at Birmingham Southern College and graduated from Auburn University in 1960 with a master's degree in civil engineering.
Dad had a long, successful career. For a while, he worked for Boeing where he was one of many engineers who worked on the first Lunar Rover. Later, Dad worked and retired from Southern Company in Birmingham, Alabama.
Our father, Gary, met the love of his life, Agnes ‘Elaine’ McCarthy, when he was 18 years old, and she was 16 years old. Dad asked Mom to marry him at Chewacla State Park in Auburn, Alabama. They married on November 6, 1959. As newlyweds, they resided in Auburn, Alabama, New Orleans, Louisianna, and Huntsville, Alabama. They created their family home in Birmingham, Alabama where they raised their two daughters, Cheryl and Holly.
Dad was the first man his daughters ever loved. He was a gentle man, always loving, kind, supportive, and generous. He coached our softball teams and helped us with homework. He could do anything and fix everything. We could count on him no matter what. When we were sick, he stayed up with us all night, rubbed our backs, and sang us songs. Dad was our biggest fan and loved us unconditionally. He was a great role model and exemplified how a husband and father should be. We are so proud of this man that we were blessed to call, ‘Dad.’
Dad and Mom loved travelling. They planned a big family vacation every summer. One of our favorite family trips was to the Grand Canyon. As they got older, Dad and Mom continued to travel with their brothers and sisters. They had many wonderful adventures travelling to Boston, Seattle, Alaska, Canada and many other destinations.
While at home, Dad was content reading the paper and playing cards, dice, and poker with his wife, children, grandchildren, and brothers. He was very competitive, played smartly and honestly, made games a lot of fun, and most of the time, the big winner.
Fall brought football season. And if you knew our Dad, you knew he was a big Auburn fan. He and mom didn’t miss a game. If you called them on a Saturday, you greeted them with a loud, ‘War Eagle,’ and ended the call the same way.
Our Dad loved life, and he treasured his big, beautiful family. He would do anything for anyone. He was incredibly generous. While his girls, Elaine, Cheryl, and Holly were his greatest priority; Dad opened his heart and home to anyone in need.
Life took on a different meaning with the arrival of each grandchild. Dad was incredibly proud of his grandchildren. He loved attending their sporting events where he could watch them play football, soccer, baseball, swim, and cheer. He also spent time in theaters watching his grandchildren sing, act, and dance. It’s very simple. Family was important to Dad. And he spent his life making sure we knew we were loved.
With every goodbye, we have the memory of our husband/dad/granddad who walked us to our car and stood outside waving as we drove off until he could no longer see us. Though we can no longer see this wonderful man; he is a part of each of us. This is not our final goodbye but simply, ‘Until we meet again.’
We love you and we will miss you every day of our lives.
Gary died at his home in Gardendale, Alabama surrounded by his beloved wife, daughters, and friends on September 12, 2024. He was 88 years old.
Gary is survived by his wife of 64 years, Elaine Chambers; two daughters, Cheryl (Richard) Hand and Holly (Mike) Reeves; nine grandchildren, Matthew (Danielle) Hand, Katie (Garath) Fulks, Elizabeth Hand, Richie (Hannah) Hand, Julia Hand, Mary Margaret Hand, Nicholas Hand, Andrew (Ariel) Reeves, and Anna Reeves; six great-grandchildren, Camille, Matthew, Gwyneth, Felicity, Benjamin, and Richie; brothers, Charles ‘Oscar’ (Libby) Chambers Jr, James ‘Barney’ (Mylene, decd) Chambers, Don Chambers, Teddie (Amy, decd) Chambers; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charley and Lois Chambers, grandparents, Charles and Laura Chambers, and Charles and Nancy Stubbs; parent-in-laws, Grady and Vera McCarthy; brothers, Jackie Chambers, Pat (Freida) Chambers, Wayne (Patsy, decd) Chambers; sisters, Nancy Chambers, Sylvia (Bobby) Latham, Judy (Charles, decd) Topazi, and Betty Sue (Joe Herald, decd) Motley; brother-in-law, Milton (Jean, decd) McCarthy; sisters-in-law, Ellen Dean McCarthy, Eloise (George, decd) Griffin, Sarah (Lee, decd) Ruff, Brenda (Sonny, decd) Smith; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, and niece.
Finally, we would like to thank Earle Ginn, Julie Burr, Peggy Marsh, Kiona Dial, and Melissa Dixon for the love, kindness, and care you gave our husband/father/grandfather, Gary Chambers, the past two years. We thank you, too, for the compassion and love you so graciously showed each of us as we journeyed through the last years of Gary’s life. You will always hold a very special place in our hearts.
A celebration of Gary’s life will be held Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at Patterson-Forest Grove Funeral Home, 1498 5th Avenue, Pleasant Grove, Alabama. The visitation begins at 12:00 pm and concludes with funeral services which begin at 1:00 pm.
On a hot, summer day, Gary Chambers walked outside. “Push me, Granddad,” you could hear as one of his grandchildren led him to the swing set. After lifting his grandchild up into the swing, he would sit in a chair patiently pushing for hours.
“Granddad, can we go for a walk?” Our father would walk with his grandchildren anywhere they wanted to go. One of their favorite places was the local convenience store where he always treated them to a cold drink and candy.
Dad walked miles and miles with his grandchildren. And on those walks, he was never silent. He would weave wild, crazy stories about Injun Joe that would enrapt his grandchildren for hours. Oh, the tales he could tell! They were fantastic and filled with unbelievable happenings. Yet, you believed, and always wanted to hear more. Dad was a master storyteller.
The greatest story Dad ever told was of his own very real-life story.
Carl ‘Gary’ Chambers was born June 27, 1936, in Fairfield, Alabama to Charles ‘Charley’ William Chambers and Lois Elizabeth (Stubbs) Chambers. Gary was the second of twelve children-eight boys and four girls. Charley worked for the Tennessee Coal Iron and Railroad Co., Steel Works in Fairfield, Alabama as a Timekeeper. And while the Chambers family were not rich in the traditional sense, they were rich in love.
The stories our dad would tell about his childhood were so happy and fun. He and his siblings were up at sunrise and came home at dusk. Their house sat next to the ‘frog pond’ and dad spent hours there playing baseball, skipping rocks, and flying kites.
Dad attended Hueytown High School and graduated in 1954. He had a paper route from ninth grade through twelfth grade. Dad loved that paper route! He rode his bike up and down steep hills and would talk about the wheels crunching over the frosty ground in the winter and how hot it was in the summer.
After graduating from high school, Dad worked bagging groceries for A&P Grocery. He didn’t make much money and decided to go to college. With eleven siblings at home, Dad worked and paid his own way. He started at Birmingham Southern College and graduated from Auburn University in 1960 with a master's degree in civil engineering.
Dad had a long, successful career. For a while, he worked for Boeing where he was one of many engineers who worked on the first Lunar Rover. Later, Dad worked and retired from Southern Company in Birmingham, Alabama.
Our father, Gary, met the love of his life, Agnes ‘Elaine’ McCarthy, when he was 18 years old, and she was 16 years old. Dad asked Mom to marry him at Chewacla State Park in Auburn, Alabama. They married on November 6, 1959. As newlyweds, they resided in Auburn, Alabama, New Orleans, Louisianna, and Huntsville, Alabama. They created their family home in Birmingham, Alabama where they raised their two daughters, Cheryl and Holly.
Dad was the first man his daughters ever loved. He was a gentle man, always loving, kind, supportive, and generous. He coached our softball teams and helped us with homework. He could do anything and fix everything. We could count on him no matter what. When we were sick, he stayed up with us all night, rubbed our backs, and sang us songs. Dad was our biggest fan and loved us unconditionally. He was a great role model and exemplified how a husband and father should be. We are so proud of this man that we were blessed to call, ‘Dad.’
Dad and Mom loved travelling. They planned a big family vacation every summer. One of our favorite family trips was to the Grand Canyon. As they got older, Dad and Mom continued to travel with their brothers and sisters. They had many wonderful adventures travelling to Boston, Seattle, Alaska, Canada and many other destinations.
While at home, Dad was content reading the paper and playing cards, dice, and poker with his wife, children, grandchildren, and brothers. He was very competitive, played smartly and honestly, made games a lot of fun, and most of the time, the big winner.
Fall brought football season. And if you knew our Dad, you knew he was a big Auburn fan. He and mom didn’t miss a game. If you called them on a Saturday, you greeted them with a loud, ‘War Eagle,’ and ended the call the same way.
Our Dad loved life, and he treasured his big, beautiful family. He would do anything for anyone. He was incredibly generous. While his girls, Elaine, Cheryl, and Holly were his greatest priority; Dad opened his heart and home to anyone in need.
Life took on a different meaning with the arrival of each grandchild. Dad was incredibly proud of his grandchildren. He loved attending their sporting events where he could watch them play football, soccer, baseball, swim, and cheer. He also spent time in theaters watching his grandchildren sing, act, and dance. It’s very simple. Family was important to Dad. And he spent his life making sure we knew we were loved.
With every goodbye, we have the memory of our husband/dad/granddad who walked us to our car and stood outside waving as we drove off until he could no longer see us. Though we can no longer see this wonderful man; he is a part of each of us. This is not our final goodbye but simply, ‘Until we meet again.’
We love you and we will miss you every day of our lives.
Gary died at his home in Gardendale, Alabama surrounded by his beloved wife, daughters, and friends on September 12, 2024. He was 88 years old.
Gary is survived by his wife of 64 years, Elaine Chambers; two daughters, Cheryl (Richard) Hand and Holly (Mike) Reeves; nine grandchildren, Matthew (Danielle) Hand, Katie (Garath) Fulks, Elizabeth Hand, Richie (Hannah) Hand, Julia Hand, Mary Margaret Hand, Nicholas Hand, Andrew (Ariel) Reeves, and Anna Reeves; six great-grandchildren, Camille, Matthew, Gwyneth, Felicity, Benjamin, and Richie; brothers, Charles ‘Oscar’ (Libby) Chambers Jr, James ‘Barney’ (Mylene, decd) Chambers, Don Chambers, Teddie (Amy, decd) Chambers; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charley and Lois Chambers, grandparents, Charles and Laura Chambers, and Charles and Nancy Stubbs; parent-in-laws, Grady and Vera McCarthy; brothers, Jackie Chambers, Pat (Freida) Chambers, Wayne (Patsy, decd) Chambers; sisters, Nancy Chambers, Sylvia (Bobby) Latham, Judy (Charles, decd) Topazi, and Betty Sue (Joe Herald, decd) Motley; brother-in-law, Milton (Jean, decd) McCarthy; sisters-in-law, Ellen Dean McCarthy, Eloise (George, decd) Griffin, Sarah (Lee, decd) Ruff, Brenda (Sonny, decd) Smith; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, and niece.
Finally, we would like to thank Earle Ginn, Julie Burr, Peggy Marsh, Kiona Dial, and Melissa Dixon for the love, kindness, and care you gave our husband/father/grandfather, Gary Chambers, the past two years. We thank you, too, for the compassion and love you so graciously showed each of us as we journeyed through the last years of Gary’s life. You will always hold a very special place in our hearts.
A celebration of Gary’s life will be held Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at Patterson-Forest Grove Funeral Home, 1498 5th Avenue, Pleasant Grove, Alabama. The visitation begins at 12:00 pm and concludes with funeral services which begin at 1:00 pm.
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