Colonel Charles Baxter Winn, Ii

Retired Colonel Charles Baxter Winn, II, took his final flight, surrounded by his family at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 10, 2023.

A graveside service, with full military honors, will be held Saturday, August 19, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at Southside Cemetery, officiated by Pastor Vanlene Nelson and Rev. Thomas Simpson. The family will receive friends at the home following the service.

Born on March 14, 1931, in Randolph County, he was the son of the late Charles Baxter, Sr. and Margarite Juanita Gregg Winn.  His stories of service and travel around the world were not only a source of personal pride but also an inspiration to those around him. His commitment to his country was only surpassed by his dedication to his family. Charles was a man who knew how to enjoy life to the fullest. He found solace in the outdoors, often working in his yard and tending to his beloved garden. His family fondly remembers the many days spent together at the beach, creating memories that will be cherished forever. Charles was also known for his love of dance, especially dancing to Shag music.

Charles served as the Operations Officer of a Phantom II fighter squadron based at Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam. He flew 181 combat missions during his tour and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Vietnamese Campaign Medal. A command pilot with 4500 hours in the air, Winn’s aeronautical career was largely devoted to the field of tactical fighters. He had experience ranging from the F-86 “Sabre” of Korean war fame, through the F-100 “Super Sabre” and British “Lightning” to the F-4 “Phantom”, a Mach two fighter which has been a work horse of the Vietnamese conflict. Colonel Winn held various command and staff positions during his Air Force career, both in fighter operations and in the personnel field. He and his family have served tours in Germany and England, and Colonel Winn completed a tour in Southeast Asia. Winn’s retirement from the Air Force was effective October 1, 1971. His last assignment was at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, where he was chief of the Rated Branch of the Officer Career Development Division in the USAF Military Personnel Center. After serving his country and retiring, he had been named Executive Assistant to the President of Allene Furniture Company of Troy, and later became the co-owner of Pinehurst Furniture Company in Candor.

Charles is survived by his loving wife, Rosemary Britt Winn, who stood by his side providing unwavering support and love. His legacy lives on through his children, Charles Winn, III (Tripp), Linda Winn Shook (Chris), Stephen Gregg Winn (Angie), Sandra Winn Green, JoAnne Morgan Maibohm (Juergan), Angela Morgan Freeman (John), Danny Evan Morgan (Margie), Gary Eugene Morgan (Pam), and Kelly Morgan. He was a proud brother to Alice Gregg Sullivan and a cherished grandfather and great-grandfather to twenty-one grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Daphion Galloway Winn and his children, Randy Wayne Morgan and Dwayne Elliot Morgan.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 38105 or Trinity United Methodist Church, 239 N. Russell St., Troy, NC, 27371.

Bumgarner Family Funeral Service is serving the Winn family.

Online condolences may be made at www.bumgarnerfunerals.com

High Flight

By John Gillespie Magee

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds, - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air…

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue

I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or ever eagle flew-

And, while the silent, lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.