Charles Milas Flowers

Charles Milas Flowers, 80, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on August 15th 2026, at Trinity Glen Skilled Nursing Community, surrounded by his family.

Charles was welcomed to this world by his loving parents, the late Rev. E.D. and Ellen Flowers, and his big brother and lifelong friend, Eddie. The family lived in Wake County, NC, and Charles had fond memories of his early childhood spent close to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Charles often introduced himself as an SOBP (Son of a Baptist Preacher), and several years of his childhood were spent in different communities in Eastern NC where Rev. Flowers pastored Baptist congregations. He also had close ties with Asheville NC, visiting his mother’s family in the mountains frequently as a youth. Rev. and Mrs. Flowers eventually settled in Winston-Salem, where Charles developed a love of long-distance running, attended school and graduated from Southwest Forsyth HS, and worked as an orderly at Baptist Hospital. 

As a young man, Charles had many interests and pursuits. He attended NC State University for several semesters as a member of the Cross Country Team. There he spent countless hours training with his buddies, including an informal “marathon” they ran between Raleigh and Greensboro. A few years later, Charles, along with his cousin Robert, tried his hand at teaching high school, but this was not a life-long calling for Charles. He eventually enlisted in the Navy and served for four years at NATO base Allied Forces Southern Europe in Naples, Italy. Charles liked to tell folks of the unique distinction of his military career – spending the entire four years of active duty service without ever stepping foot onto a Navy ship.

Just over a year into his deployment to Naples, Charles returned from a short leave with surprising news for his commanding officer – he was now a married man! According to Charles, the officer’s response was, “Well that’s the last time I let a man of mine go on leave!”. His wife Nancy soon joined Charles in Naples and they made the most of living in a different country while Charles served theirs. They made good friends, adopted a mischievous dog, and visited historic European cities where Charles took countless photos that he turned into slides to regale friends and family back home for years to come.

Family was important to Charles, and when he and Nancy returned to the States, they eventually welcomed three children. David was born in Raleigh, Carla in Asheville, and then Katie several years after the family moved to Bethlehem. Charles embraced fatherhood and was the consummate ‘80s and ‘90s Dad. His tenure as T-ball coach lasted over a decade, picking up the neighborhood kids to ride along with his own to and from practice. He built a back-yard playhouse, involved his daughters as well as his son in car repair and maintenance, and taught his children the joys and patience of fishing. Once they were older, he volunteered to attend Boy Scout camp, video dance recitals and soccer games, and to chaperone one – and only one – infamous Jr. High field trip. Never one to take himself too seriously, Charles even signed up to learn and perform during the “Dad’s Dance” for one of Katie’s recitals. He never met a Dad Joke that he didn’t like or pass along, to the eye-rolls of his children.

Charles was well-known in the Bethlehem and Hickory communities through his job at Valley Hills Mall. He began working for Sears in the automotive department when the store first opened in Hickory, then later moved to the electronics department where he worked until retirement. His lifelong appreciation for and understanding of technology made Charles a good match for a sales career, helping customers understand the ins and outs of TVs, computers, VCRs, camcorders, and sound systems.

Outside of work and in his retirement, Charles had many interests and pastimes. He was an NC State fan at heart and enjoyed watching ACC basketball and football. He also enjoyed photography, listening to music, fixing and repairing cars and lawn mowers, and operating and programming computers. Two of his most favorite pursuits were researching family genealogy and eating deserts. Fortunately, Nancy is a very good cook, so Charles was always well supplied with banana pudding and cookies.

Charles’s parents and grandparents had instilled in him from a young age the importance of giving and using your talents to help others. He loved computers and in the 1980s, he volunteered with Alexander County Schools to build their first-ever employee database. For the many hours he contributed to the schools, he was nominated for the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. After retirement, he became actively involved in Veterans’ groups. He had a love for working with homeless veterans and volunteered with Foothills Veterans Helping Veterans in Hickory NC. For several years, he also served in the Honor Guard, helping to pay final respects to other veterans by providing formal military funeral honors. Charles was a member of Mt. Bethel UMC in Bethlehem for many years, serving in the choir and with the men’s ministry, and later joined Sherwood Forest UMC upon moving to Winston-Salem.

Throughout his life – during his schooling, Navy enlistment, sales career, hobby clubs, volunteer service, and retirement, Charles never met a stranger and loved getting to know new people. He always enjoyed talking to people and sharing jokes.

In eternity, Charles is now reunited with his parents E.D. and Ellen Flowers, as well as his brother and best friend, Eddie.

Surviving to treasure his memory and continue his legacy are his wife of 55 years, Nancy Flowers, son David Flowers (Andrea), daughter Carla Turkett (William), daughter Katie DeBenedetto (Josh), and two beloved grandchildren, Joshua DeBenedetto and Eli DeBenedetto. 

In addition, Charles is survived by his sister-in-law Janet Flowers, brother in-law Robbie Bratton (Rita), niece Heather Bratton, nephew Thomas Flowers (Danielle), adored great-nephew and -nieces, and cherished cousins.

The family is grateful for the loving care provided to Charles recently by the staff at Trinity Glen Nursing Home and Trellis Hospice.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Sherwood Forest United Methodist Church, 5250 Silas Creek Pkwy, Winston-Salem at 1:30pm on Saturday, August 29. A reception will follow.

Charles’s family welcomes favorite stories, memories, and thoughts from all friends and family. Please leave a tribute here, or bring an anecdote to share to the Celebration of Life.

Donations: In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Charles may be made to Foothills Veterans Helping Veterans, PO Box 404, Newton NC 28658 or to Sherwood Forest UMC, 5250 Silas Creek Pkwy, Winston-Salem NC 27106.

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