Charles Allen Winkler

Charles Allen Winkler 90 years old Born in Blowing Rock, NC and moved to Atlanta in the early 1950s. Here he met and married Ruby Dooley Winkler and was married for 40 years.

Surviving are one daughter Debra Winkler Saulsberry and son in law Elton Earl Saulsberry, Lawrenceville, GA
Brother Herman Winkler/Mt. Holly, NC, Cousin Frank Auton/Melbourne, FL, Cousin LulaBell Ballard/Linville, NC

Allen worked for the City of Atlanta Water Bureau for 35 years and retired as Supervisor of Heavy Construction. He loved his work and was extremely skilled at managing large, complex projects and multiple crews ensuring the water system ran smoothly in the City of Atlanta. He was serious about his work and never wanted any business or homeowner to go without water for any period of time. He genuinely cared about the men in his crew and residents of the City of Atlanta.

A private memorial service will be held :
Wednesday, May 19th, 2021 at 2:00 in the afternoon.
Salem United Methodist Church, Dawsonville, GA
412 Salem Church
Dawsonville, GA 30534
Flowers can be sent to:
Ingram Funeral Home
210 Ingram Ave.
Cumming, GA 30040

He loved his family and was genuinely thankful for his extended family and lifelong friends.

Allen was of the generation who always lended a helping hand. He said hello to everyone who passed, shook hands with people and was polite. He believed in saying thank you, yes m'am and yes sir. He was a firm believer that people and families were a community and should actively and voluntarily help one another in times of need. People loved and respected him for this philosophy and was one of his greatest qualities.
He enjoyed hunting and fishing and spending time with Ruby, Debbie and their best friends Pat and Mildred Smith boating at Lake Hartwell. He grew up in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina and proudly told everyone he met that he was from Boone, NC. He loved the mountains, the hard working people of Appalachia and the beauty of Grandfather Mountain and Blowing Rock.

Allen loved music, particularly 50s, 60s country, bluegrass and old time gospel. He was an amazing singer in his own right. He could sing baritone with the best of them, but was very humble of his talent. Later in life he began teaching himself how to play the steel guitar. In the last years he would sing songs to his daughter such as Mother's Only Sleeping and Rocky Top.

One of his joys in life was travelling with Ruby to the Pacific Northwestern United States. They took scenic car trips to Montana, Colorado, Oregon and Washington State and were continually drawn and inspired by the great mountains of the Northwest. He and his family spent summers in Melbourne, Florida at the beach with friends and family. Later in life he enjoyed travelling in his RVs to Florida and local Southeast country music venues. Though he loved car travel, he always liked coming home to his cherished home of 47 years in Tucker.

He had a great affinity for vehicles. Allen owned many cars, trucks and a few RVs in his lifetime which he loved to drive and show his friends and family. He loved his trucks in particular, which some said was the country boy in him. Sundays were spent watching Nascar and supporting his favorite drivers.

For many years he cultivated and maintained a vegetable garden. He enjoyed growing many varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and peppers. He would try different ones each year and taught his daughter to appreciate and enjoy all types of fresh vegetables which has lasted her lifetime. He loved to watch the plants grown, harvest them and took great delight in giving the excess to neighbors and friends. He could eat the really hot peppers no one else would and say, 'that is warm'!

Allen was a good man who was a family man, loyal friend and good neighbor. He was fond of saying, 'If you treat your fellow man the way you would like to be treated you will sail through life'. He endured many difficult hardships in his life, and faced them all with tremendous courage, dignity and bravery. He was strong in body and spirit and was an inspiration to all who knew him.

He will be greatly missed.