Charles Bryce Hartley

Charles Bryce Hartley, 93 of Charlotte, NC, passed away on Sunday, March 19, 2023.  He was the husband of the late Ada Stuart Hartley and the son of the late Francis Garrett and Eleanor May Johnson Hartley.

He was a member of First Baptist Church of Statesville, NC, a graduate of High Point High School and attended UNC Chapel Hill.  At UNC he studied kinesiology and was a letterman at UNC in gymnastics in which he was one of the country’s premier rope climbers.  He had hoped that the Olympics would restore rope climbing as an Olympic sport as he would have welcomed an opportunity to compete for such a spot on the US Olympic team.  He was also a nationally recognized competitive bodybuilder being awarded the Mr. North and South Carolina championship for two consecutive years during the 1950s.  His bodybuilding expertise allowed him to achieve a world record in the free weight biceps curl in his weight division.

He was an avid reader up until the end of his life and by example taught his children the importance of education and of inquiry.  He was determined that none of his children would be burdened by debt paying for their secondary education including graduate schools.  On the door of his home office was a quote from Mark Twain, “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.”

He maintained a love for early American history, particularly that of the founding of the US and the Civil War, he enjoyed taking his children on vacations to revolutionary historic sites.  He commanded such knowledge of the sites and history that he was actually often more informative that the tour guides.

He was employed as a Dairy Nutrition Consultant for Purina winning a number of rewards for his sales productivity.  He left Purina and started his own business as a dairy nutrition consultant.  He enjoyed animal nutrition science and throughout his career he enjoyed attending national scientific conferences at leading universities to improve his knowledge of the science and refine his craft understanding that in order for any job to be done well required ongoing dedicated learning and study.

He was a deputy with Iredell County Sherriff’s Department.  Charlie was a member of the American Daisy Science Association, the American Animal Science Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, and was a Benefactor of the National Rifle Association.

Charlie was preceded in death by daughter Lynn Hartley.  Charlie is survived by his three children, Dr. C. Bryce (Sharon) Hartley II of Atlanta, GA, Susan (Tom) Hartley of Charleston, SC, and Dr. W. Stuart (Liz) Hartley of Charlotte, NC.  Also surviving are five grandchildren, Tyler Hartley, Jordan Hartley, and Chandler (John) Hartley, all of Atlanta, GA, and Will Hartley and Kate Hartley, both of Charlotte, NC.

A graveside funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at 2:00 pm at Oakwood Cemetery in Statesville, NC. 

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