Charles Thomas Stefl, DDS

At 1pm, September 28th, Charles Thomas Stefl, 87, went home to Heaven to enjoy eternity with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Evelyn Bernice “Niece” Stefl; his son, Timothy Edward Stefl (“Tim-O-thee” or “Sport” to him for 53 years!); his favorite daughter in law (his words!), Wavey Alison Stefl; his grandchildren, Olivia Taylor (19), Jordan Timothy (18) and Luke Linstead Stefl (13); older brother, Donald Lee Stefl (89) and younger sister, Carol Elaine Sheehan (82). He loved his dental career – as a Captain in the US Navy (22.5 years), in his private dental practices in CA and MA, as well as his years teaching dental students at the University of Southern California and Harvard Dental Schools – until his retirement at just over 80 years old! He loved golf and watching any sport or event in which his extended family participated – he rarely missed any of Tim’s, Olivia’s, Jordan’s or Luke’s games or activities – even in later years when he had no idea who was playing, what team his family member was on, or who was winning! “Grampy,” as he was affectionally known by Wavey and his grandchildren – “Tom” to everyone else – was an intense but playful, loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend who tended to be fairly quiet until pulled into a discussion about a topic with which he was familiar – it was not uncommon to see him sitting quietly by himself at any get together, just “taking in the experience.” Nor was it uncommon to see him talking to a small group about golf, dentistry, or similar topics for hours at the same event! He especially enjoyed working with kids of all ages. One of his favorite things to do was read children’s stories (with acted-out voices for all the characters) to Tim in his youth, and eventually his grandchildren when they were old enough to appreciate his talent. But, the love of his life was Niece. They enjoyed 61 years as a married couple. His favorite joke of all time was “how do you keep any marriage happy? The man needs to know how to say two things, “yes, dear,” and “anything you say, dear.”” While Tom and Niece wouldn’t say their marriage was without typical conflict or challenge, they would both say they couldn’t have done it without the other. In fact, in spite of his deep descent into Alzheimer’s/Dementia, he always brightened up when he saw her enter his room at the Oak’s Memory Care facility. Even when he forgot her name (he called her Wilson at one point!), his eyes always lit up when he saw her. But, Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease. He frequently forgot Niece was his wife, (although he thought she was pretty!) and that Tim was his son (he recognized he knew Tim, but thought he was a football teammate). But, through it all, his sense of humor never fully disappeared. At one point, after they had tucked him in for the night, one of the attendants said, “Goodnight, I’ll check back in on you, later!” Dad simply replied, “I’ll be right here!” We all laughed – he was still in there! On his second to last day with us, when the struggle was the greatest, he took Niece’s hand in his, tenderly kissed it, and said, “Thank you!” It was the sweetest thing he’d ever done. And, in less than 24 hours, he was in the arms of his Savior – where he will spend the rest of eternity! Charles Thomas Stefl was a man well loved – we will all miss him. But, knowing his pain, suffering and confusion is gone – we rejoice in him being in a far better place! A visitation will be held on Tuesday, October 4th, 2022 from 9:00am until 11:00am at Northside Chapel Funeral Directors. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, October 4th, 2022 at 11:00am in the chapel at Northside Chapel Funeral Directors located at 12050 Crabapple Road Roswell, Georgia. A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, October 4th, 2022 at 2:00pm at Georgia National Cemetery located at 1080 Scott Hudgens Drive Canton, Georgia. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Truth and Tidings Gospel Trust (donation@gospeltrustusa.org) via PayPal or the Agape Hospice Alpharetta organization (via link): https://agapehospicecare.com/donate/.

Charles Thomas Stefl, DDS

February 19, 1935 - September 28, 2022