Ed and Judy Wadding knew their friend, Charles “Charlie” Stitt, was heartbroken after the January 2021 death of his wife, Ruth, so they decided to take him out for dinner.

“He said, ‘No, I want you to come to my house and I’ll cook dinner for you,’” Judy Wadding recalled. “He had the table beautifully set and there was wine — that’s just the kind of guy he was, and it makes me cry.”

All who knew him emphasized the giving nature of Stitt, who died on March 1 at age 85.

“He was definitely God’s servant,” Wadding said.

Although he was in his 80s, Stitt drove people two decades younger than him to doctor’s appointments or visited others in the hospital.

“Then you’d try to do something for him and he’d say, ”Aw, that’s OK,’“ Wadding said.

She said her friend focused on being there for people who were at a low point in their lives, as well as making everyone he met feel valued.

“There’s no doubt in my mind where he is now,” she said of Stitt.

She served on the Butler County Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors or Friends of the Symphony with Stitt for many years.

Wadding said in addition to never missing a performance, Stitt raised significant funds for the symphony over the decades.

“Charlie was the person who went out and solicited businesses and various people,” Wadding said. “He just had a lot of good contacts.“

She said Stitt funded the symphony’s events at the Butler Country Club that honored past members and served as treasurer of the board.

“Financially, he was a wizard,” Wadding said. “He could look at what the symphony was doing financially and say, ‘This is what we have to do.’ He had a fabulous mind.”

She called her friend’s death a big loss not only to the symphony, but to the world.

“I can’t say enough about him because he was so gracious and kind,” Wadding said through tears. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say a mean thing about anybody.”

Stitt worked for more than four decades in the metals industry, including Armco from 1960 to 2001, when he retired as general manager of marketing, specialty steels.

He served as a consultant in various capacity for more than 10 companies after his retirement.

Anne Stitt, Charlie Stitt’s daughter-in-law, said she will miss his humor and ever-present smile, as well as the counsel he offered his beloved family members.

“He was always willing to give us loving advice,” Stitt said.

She said Stitt loved to take his family traveling, and took the entire family to Europe at one point.

Other points of interest various family members enjoyed with Stitt were England, Germany and a trip with his two grandsons to Normandy, so they could see where the D-Day invasion occurred during World War II.

“He liked to share the cultures that he got to visit and immerse the grandsons in traveling the world and seeing how other people lived,” Stitt said.

She said Charlie and Ruth also served on mission trips to the Middle East to assist with humanitarian projects in depressed areas.

For leisure, Stitt said her father-in-law loved hitting the links on a sunny day.

“He loved golf,” she said.

Stitt also marveled over her father-in-law’s ability to connect with anyone he met and make them feel special.

“He loved to talk to people,” she said. “He never met a stranger.”

Stitt said Charlie dedicated his life to helping others.

“He was a person who would give and not tell anybody,” she said.

His faith also was a very important part of his life, she said.

“He just loved the Lord and loved to share his testimony with anybody,” she said.

Eagle Publisher, Ron Vodenichar, had an interesting relationship with Stitt.

”Charlie and I became friends at the Butler Country Club, but more special was our relationship as writer and reader,“ Vodenichar said. ”He was probably my most frequent communicator, as to commenting on my local editorials.“

Vodenichar said his sarcasm played well with Stitt’s dry sense of humor and Stitt would always have an entertaining comment to add regarding editorials.

“He was smart and funny,” Vodenichar said. “I will miss his short, pointed comments in my mailbox.”

Dave Hilliard, president and CEO at Butler County Family YMCA, also enjoyed a long association with Stitt, who was a 20-year member of the YMCA.

Hilliard said Stitt also served on many volunteer boards at the organization and most recently was a new member of the board of trustees.

He said he will miss many things about Stitt, but most of all his spirit and ability to connect with people and make them feel comfortable.

“Charlie cared about everyone in the community, without a doubt,” Hilliard said. “He was one of a kind, that’s for sure.”