Charles William Haywood

Charles William Haywood, “Chuck”, age 80, of Newark, DE, passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 13, 2025. 

He was born July 22, 1944 in Niagara Falls, Ontario; and was raised in Port Colborne, Ontario by adoptive parents Eleanor (Lloyds) Haywood and Archer John Haywood, each born in England.  He cherished his childhood years with his parents, older brother Ron, and many pets.  Archer, born in 1896, served for Canada in WWI and passed away when Chuck was 12 years old.

As a result, Chuck grew up quickly and leveraged the many survival and handy-man skills learned from his beloved father and uncles, from ice-fishing to hunting rabbits and squirrels to keeping up with house repairs on the home his father built with repurposed materials from two older homes.  He had many early jobs from cutting lawns to working at a gas station and labored on farms.

After graduating Hamilton Teachers College, Chuck became a teacher at the age of 19.  Given a class of 39 students, he was told if he could survive the year, he’d make it as a teacher.  And, he did.  He completed his BA at Brock University in St. Catherines, and then Masters in Education attending State University College in Buffalo as well as University of Delaware.  He dedicated his 42-year career to education, eventually serving as the devoted Principal at Downes and Maclary Elementary schools, for which he was highly regarded by the students, faculty and parent community alike.

He adored his wife Edna with whom he raised three children in Delaware.  They recall fondly his dedication to attending their sporting events, love for pets, teaching them to fish, hike, and camp and the importance of a strong work ethic.

Upon retirement, Chuck enjoyed helping his adult children with handyman jobs, watching the grandkids, working part-time at Hagley Museum, woodworking, volunteering at schools and senior centers, Meals-on-wheels, and was active in the community of St. James Church.

Chuck will be remembered fondly as a sincere and kind person who thoroughly enjoyed helping others.

Chuck is survived by his wife Edna; sons, Bill (Amy) and Rob (Christy); daughter, Kathy (Ken); and six grandchildren: Brenden, Tanner, Chase, Keiran, Jack, and Dylan.

A visitation will be held at the Doherty Funeral Home, 3200 Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE 19808 on Friday, March, 21, 2025 from 4:00pm - 6:00pm.

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