Charles Lever

Charles Lever, 81, of Newberry, died Monday, March 11 at Newberry County Memorial Hospital. He was born to Colie Eugene Lever and Carrie “Fannie” Richardson Lever on October 11, 1937 in Newberry, South Carolina. He spent his childhood in Newberry and joined the Army Reserves after graduating high school. He joined the U.S. Air Force two years later as a weapons mechanic. While stationed in Orlando, Florida in February 1960, he met the love of his life and wife of 55 years, Beverly Anne Connell. They married in July 1960.
The training he received in the military prepared him for a career in the field of electronics. He worked for Martin Marietta on air-to-ground command missile projects, most notably the Bullpup project. He left the defense industry to join Walt Disney Imagineering as a lead man in the Audio-Animatronics division. He continued to work in the Audio-Animatronics division at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida for several years after the park was opened until he returned to Newberry with his family in 1974. After returning to Newberry he worked in the manufacturing industry. He was a security guard at Georgia Pacific from 1990 until he retired in 2002.
He was deeply interested in healthcare and social security policies that would impact elderly and disabled Americans. In the late 1990s he harnessed that interest to establish one of the first senior citizen websites on the internet called The Concerned Senior Citizen’s Network to help fellow Americans with similar concerns.
“Papa,” as he was known to his family, courageously endured the debilitating physical effects of advanced Parkinson’s disease for more than a decade. He was a resident at White Oak Manor in Newberry for the nine years preceding his death. He was an inspiration in his capacity to find joy in the worst of conditions. He was a kind and quiet man with a profound love of the Lord, his nation, and his family.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved and devoted wife; and his grandsons, Evan Bowen and Michael Bowen, Jr. He is survived by his daughter, Shelley Bowen (Michael, Sr.) of Newberry; his son, Jeffrey Lever of Columbia; his brother, Lewis Lever (Jackie) of Newberry; and his granddaughter, Alanna Boozer (Kevin) of Newberry.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 24 at 2 p.m. at White Oak Manor, 2555 Kinard St., Newberry, SC. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for contributions to be made to United Cerebral Palsy of South Carolina ( www.ucpsc.org ), an organization that oversees the care of his son and has meant a great deal to his family.