Charlotte M. Caldwell's Obituary
On May 1st, 2025 at 3:09 A.M. Charlotte Marion Caldwell (née Vermillion) reposed with the Lord—passing away peacefully in her sleep at home, surrounded by her loved ones. She is survived by her four children (Jim, John, Jeff, and Jeanne) and her many grandchildren, and even great grandchildren, therein. Charlotte was born Jan 19th, 1933 at her family home (2859 SW 37th Court, Miami, FL) to a doting father (Charles Elmer Vermillion) and supportive mother (Eunice Horton Vermillion), growing up there with her siblings (Charles, Betty, and Johhny). She oft recounted her father’s affections, in particular his playful nicknames: monkey, monkey-doodle, and Schatzi (A Germanic word corresponding to “my little treasure”). Of her mother, she recounted her strength in raising Charlotte during the depression years of the 1930’s, compounded in difficulty by her father’s concurrent bout of illness that had prevented him from working for three years (believed to be a lasting symptom of poisoning from mustard gas during his service in the Great War), making sure she never went to bed hungry. Though money was tight during her childhood, she maintained a sense of fondness and nostalgia for it—going to the movies with her siblings with a dime for a ticket and a penny for a handful of candy. In 1939, the Vermillion kids were so amazed by the, then new, “The Wizard of Oz” that they reenacted it on the sidewalk with some neighborhood kids after school, coming home late warranted a round of scolding, but it was a joyous occasion, nonetheless. Another such fondly remembered occurrence, was the perennial rush home after school to listen to Santa Claus broadcasting his Christmas journey over the radio. For these, and a multitude of other core experiences, Charlotte felt that, though lacking in material means, she was blessed with a picturesque, American upbringing.
Even early on, Charlotte was known to be bright and studious, holding herself in propriety to her seniors and her conscience—itself molded by her upbringing in the Christian faith, which she steadfastly adhered to for all of her life. Accordingly, she earned admission to Florida State University, with ease, attending for a year before having to return home to ease the burden on her family’s struggling finances and spend time with her ailing father. Following this, she obtained employment at the office of Silas Eldridge Chambers, M.D.—a man with an imposing presence (a gruff exterior, a stature over six feet, and possessing the vulgar verbiage of a sailor) but a heart of gold (generously conducting his practice to meet the needs of the impoverished and attending to even the most troublesome and demanding of patients). Though a difficult occupation, saddled with many responsibilities, Charlotte would persist in it, maintaining this job for over a decade (continuing in the same milieu of work for many years thereafter at the University of Miami’s department of Urology, under world-renowned Urologist, Dr. Victor Anthony Politano). Contemporaneously, in 1953, she received a letter of courtship from a young U.S. Air Force officer named James Caldwell, (a childhood friend of her brother, Johhny). After corresponding for some time, they became engaged at the closing of winter in 1954 and were wed June 20th, that same year. After a wonderful ceremony with many family members and friends, which her father described as “one of the best times of his life”, the newlyweds went off to settle in his home state of Texas. It was an exciting time, though it carried a somber note in hindsight (this departure marking the last time she saw her beloved father, alive). The marriage was pleasant and fruitful in its early years, begetting four children in total. But, after a series of major downturns that left their marriage and their lives in a dire state (wherein, due to his own personal struggles, he had been becoming increasingly absent from the home, and the finances were so destitute that the essential utilities of the house were being turned off), she made the difficult decision to take the children and live off on her own, back home in Florida. Words alone cannot do justice to the hardships Charlotte faced as a single mother during this time, and it is a testament to her inner fortitude that she labored under such conditions in order to provide good childhoods to her offspring. Looking back on this ordeal, in spite of all the hardships, she refrained from speaking ill of her former husband, taking a Christlike stand of forgiveness. As a whole, Charlotte was one who endeavored to see the good side of others, refraining from idle gossip, especially of family. In addition, she always kept others in her thoughts—concerned with making sure her nieces, nephews, children, and grandchildren all felt a sense of belonging and being loved, particularly around the holidays. That trait is best evidenced in her role as a dedicated parishioner for she: greeted inquirers, helped with seasonal decorations, kept every member’s birthday in memory, and made many prayers beseeching God to ameliorate people’s troubles. All in all, Charlotte was a gentle but resilient sole who made a lasting impact on so many lives—she will be dearly missed, here on earth.
In the latter years of her life Charlotte felt a great sense of duty to catalogue her genealogy, ensuring that the lives of her forebearers, in living memory and prior, were carried through to the future—that they receive the honor she felt due to them. Anyone who knew her well could recount stories she regaled about these kinsfolks, alongside the multitude of people she had met throughout the years, and, as she approached the end of her life, she was put at ease by the thought of seeing them again upon crossing into the afterlife. That, and her unwavering faith, explain why she did not want to suffer a protracted death seeking endless medical council or within the sterile and dreary confines of a hospice, rather she chose to spend her final days, her way—meeting with her family and friends at home to say goodbye and celebrate a long life, well-lived, with dignity.
Being a Christian, it is only appropriate to conclude her obituary with a fitting verse,
"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
What’s your fondest memory of Charlotte?
What’s a lesson you learned from Charlotte?
Share a story where Charlotte's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Charlotte you’ll never forget.
How did Charlotte make you smile?