God is surely smiling, as one of His happiest and fun-loving souls is returning home. During the early morning hours of November 8, 2021, Charles T. Sax of Vestal, NY, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving children. He is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Helen (Swierkosz), his father, Charles L. Sax, and mother, Mary Dorothy Sax (Mangan).
Charlie is survived by his loving children, Dr. Christina Sax, Ellicott City, Maryland; Vickie Sax, Vestal, NY; Kevin Sax, Rockville, Maryland; Kelley Sax-Francis, Binghamton, NY; son-in-laws John Francis and Michael Ryan; sister Mary and brother-in-law Al Marean; grandchild, Elizabeth Gould (Francis) and husband Peter Gould and great grandchild Daisy Mae Gould; nieces and nephews David Swierkosz, Maria (Swierkosz) and Jerry Motsavage; Dr. Joy Marean Hickey, John Hickey, and Elizabeth; Mary (Marean), Stephen, Patrick, and Colin McGovern; and countless cousins and friends. He was fortunate to spend his remaining years at home in the loving care of his family, especially his daughter, Vickie Sax.
Charlie was born on August 1, 1935 in Binghamton, NY. His early days included being an altar boy and working at his grandfather’s painting business in Syracuse during the summer. He also relished being an older brother to his sister Mary Florence (“Flossie”). He graduated from Binghamton Central High School in 1953, where his lifelong love of sports was nurtured. He starred as a defensive end on the football field, a catcher on the baseball diamond, and was known as one of the “Fab Five” on the basketball court. Charlie received his Electrical Technology degree from Broome Tech in 1955, where he also played basketball under legendary coach Dick Baldwin. He met the love of his life, Helen, and married her on February 7, 1959 at Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church. He worked as a cost engineer at IBM in Owego for the next 34 years, also serving time in the National Guard.
Charlie enjoyed every minute of his life. Known for his infectious smile that “lit up a room”, he could often be heard saying his catch phrase “smiles are free” or simply whistling the tune “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” He danced unabashedly to the polka every Sunday morning, enjoyed working on his lawn, and took great delight in eating black raspberry ice cream while singing “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” with a childish grin. He also loved cheering on his favorite teams—the Yankees, Penn State, and Notre Dame. He especially loved family vacations at the beach, including baking in the sun and riding the waves, even though he didn’t know how to swim!
He was a founder of Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, where he served as a lector and usher. He was also President of the Men’s’ Club at Saint Vincent’s and contributed to their annual pancake breakfasts and square-dancing parties.
As a dad, there were few better. His children were his pride and joy. He reveled in cheering them on – coaching their teams early in life, including his Charlie’s Angels all-star team, scoping out colleges, and then celebrating their success and happiness as adults. When they were young, he converted the side lot into a second athletic facility of their own—complete with a basketball court, pitching bullpen, field hockey and soccer goals. He drove countless hours in the “SAX-PAC” minivan to support all his kid’s activities – the distance or time was never a barrier. He once drove eighteen hours straight through the night to watch Vickie’s field hockey games at the University of Iowa, then made the same return trip the following day to arrive back at work on time. He also enjoyed supporting Vickie’s collegiate softball coaching career; especially traveling to Spring training in Florida and to tournaments across the country. Charlie also took great pride in telling everyone that Kelley was a schoolteacher. Over the years, he helped move her into and out of different classrooms, never complaining about the number of boxes or flights of stairs.
Together with Helen, he was instrumental in the Title IX movement for achieving equity for female athletes in the Vestal School District. Prompted by their daughter’s experience as a female athlete, Charles and Helen filed a grievance with the Federal Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1979 charging lack of equal opportunity in the girls’ athletic program. The filing resulted in improvements in the women’s athletic programs, including junior varsity team offerings, facilities, scheduling, sports equipment and supplies, medical supplies, uniforms, and recruiting, compensation and hiring of coaches. The success of their filing was the catalyst for change in the district that has impacted generations of female athletes, the effects of which are still being felt today.
After a life lived to its fullest, Charlie is now reunited with Helen and his parents. His children, grandchild, great-grandchild, and other family and friends will carry his spirit with them always.
The Sax family would like to thank Henry, Milton, Leslie, Linda (“Socks”) for their wonderful and compassionate care that allowed Charlie to stay in the home where he lived for 45 years.
His brother-in-law Gene Swierkosz described Charlie perfectly – “Charlie’s the kind of guy that if you called and asked him to help you paint your house, he’d get down off the ladder from painting his own house and come right over to help.”
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Tuesday 10 am at St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament Church, 165 Clifton Blvd., Vestal. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Johnson City. The family will receive friends at the Allen Memorial Home, 511-513 East Main Street, Monday from 4-7 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family invites memorial donations in Charlie’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association.