Charles Winspear Hallagan

Charles W. Hallagan

Newark---Charles Winspear Hallagan (Charlie),98, passed away on November 9, 2024 at his home.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Newark United Methodist Church, 301 South Main Street, Newark, NY at 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 30th. A private burial will be in Newark Cemetery. There will be no calling hours.

In lieu of flowers gifts can be given in Charlie’s memory to The Newark First United Methodist Church (PO Box 189, Newark, NY 14513), the Sodus Bay Lighthouse Museum (PO Box 94, Sodus Point, NY 14555) or the Rotary International Foundation-Annual Fund (14280 Collections Center, Chicago, IL 60693) https://my.rotary.org/en/donate.

He was the son of Walter and Ethel Hallagan and lived his entire life in Newark, NY. He attended the Newark schools and his final year was at Deerfield Academy. At age 17, during the war, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944 and was sent to Cornell University under the V-12 Navy program. He was enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering School and graduated in 1948. While there he was elected to Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. He then served after the war until 1950 as an Ensign on the USS Siboney, an aircraft carrier. They were the first US Navy Task Force to operate in the Persian Gulf.

He then returned to Newark and began a long career spanning over 60 years at Hallagan Furniture, the family upholstery manufacturing business. He and his brother Dick took over the company in the late 1960’s. Charlie ran the business for over 25 years, eventually turning it over to his sons, Steven and Walter.

He was active in many things. He was an Eagle Boy Scout with Troop 122, was an avid sailor in his early years and won the Central New York Lightening Class Championship in 1953.

In 1954 Charlie married Kathryn (Kay) Bush of Orchard Park, NY. She was the love of his life and they had 64 great and inseparable years together. They raised 4 children. They loved golf, tennis, cards, skiing and socializing with their many friends. Charlie loved to garden and grew magnificent dahlias and roses at their cottage on Sodus Bay where they would spend each summer. Charlie was a long time member of the Newark First United Methodist Church, the Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club and the Newark Rotary Club.

Many will remember him for his quick wit and spinning out a story with remarkable recall of detail.

Charlie is survived by his children, Steven (Lucina), Walter (Maureen), Mary Helen (Ross), Thomas; grandchildren Colleen, Margaret and Andrew; Susannah and Dylan; Tracy and Glenn; and great grandchildren Henry; Nolan, Finley, and Quinton; Autumn and Sawyer. He is also survived by his brother Richard (Dick) Hallagan He is predeceased by his wife, Kathryn (Kay); and his sister Sarah Ashnault.