Charles Irving Wentworth, age 89, of Prosperity, SC, died February 5, 2023 at the Prisma Health Baptist Hospital after a brief illness.

Born May 27, 1933 in Newton, NH, Charles was the child of the late Charles Bertram Wentworth and Mildred Ingalls Wentworth. He was married for 69 years to Mary Ellen Hariel Wentworth.

As a young man, Charles's future-focused passion-- aviation -- drew him into the Air Force. His time in the service gave him two gifts: the skills of an air traffic controller and the love of his life, his wife, Mary.

On discharge, he earned a degree in history from Mississippi College, then turned to air traffic control again, this time with the civilian FAA. In 1988, he finished his long career there as a supervisor in McComb, MS, where Rotary International had named him a Paul Harris Fellow.

Throughout his life, Charles remained an industrial strength putterer, flying his beloved plane and honing his skills across a wide range of interests, from carpentry to cabinetry, from hydroponics to Christmas tree farming, from crossbow hunting to needlepoint, and others.

But his passion late in his life was the past, history again. His genealogy hobby produced thousands of pages of research on hundreds of family members across dozens of states.

Charles's passionate, persistent focus on his many interests continues to inspire those who knew him.

Charles is survived by his daughter, Ellen Hille Bedenbaugh of North Carolina; a son, Charles L. Wentworth of Columbia, SC; a brother, William Edgar Wentworth of Dover, NH; two sisters, Helen Angell of Dover, NH, and Julia Whitacre of Winchester,VA; and four grandchildren; In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Ruth Wilson and Nancy Todd.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 11, 2023, at 2:00 PM at Whitaker Funeral Home in Newberry. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. A private burial will follow at Newberry Memorial Garden.

For those wishing to join services online, live streaming options are available by clicking the Watch Event Link on the Events section.

The family asks that memorial contributions be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Memories and messages of condolence may be shared with the family at whitakerfuneralhome.com.

Whitaker Funeral Home is honored to serve the Wentworth Family.