Honorable Charlie & Rose S. Dannelly

Charlie Smith Dannelly was born on August 13, 1924, in Bishopville, South Carolina, to Robert Samuel Dannelly and Minnie Smith Dannelly, the third boy and youngest of seven children. He passed away peacefully in Charlotte, North Carolina, on February 25, 2026, at the age of 101.

A dedicated scholar and veteran, he graduated from Mather Academy in Camden, South Carolina, in 1944, attended Howard University, and earned a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Johnson C. Smith University in 1962 and a master’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1966. During the Korean War, he served as a first lieutenant paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, completing 50 parachute jumps and earning the Bronze Star and Korean Service Medal.

He devoted much of his life to education, beginning as a teacher at University Park Elementary School before serving as principal at Starmount Elementary, Quail Hollow Junior High, Albemarle Road Junior High, and J.H. Gunn High School. He believed deeply that education was the pathway to freedom. His commitment to public service continued as a Charlotte City Councilman from 1977 to 1989 and as a North Carolina State Senator for District 38 from 1995 onward. In these roles, he championed legislation for children, seniors, and the disadvantaged, secured two rounds of state-funded athletic scholarships for ten HBCUs in North Carolina, and passed a bill banning cellphone use while driving school buses. He served as Deputy President Pro Tempore and remained active in numerous civic organizations until his retirement in 2013.

He was the devoted husband of Rose LaVerne Rhodes Dannelly for 63 years and a loving father to his only child, Charlie Smith Dannelly II, and daughter-in-law Doreen Spicer-Dannelly, whom he proudly called his daughter. He was pre-deceased by his siblings Robert Dannelly Jr., George Morris Dannelly, William Charles Dannelly, Precious Ruth Dannelly, Minnie Dannelly McGirt, and Roberta Dannelly Durant. He is survived by his son, Charlie Smith Dannelly II, and family members William Durant, Vida Durant, and Denise Dannelly.