Charles John Arliss, 90, of Locust, died peacefully at home on Saturday, December 17. He was predeceased by his wife of 60 years, Mary Kay. Charlie was born in Newark, to the late Charles and Elizabeth (O’Connor) Arliss. After graduating from Barringer High School, he served his country during World War II, in the United States Army Air Corps. After leaving the service, he enrolled at the University of Vermont, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. He graduated with a degree in business, and then did graduate work at Columbia Business School. His next stop was Wall Street, where he spent his entire career working for Salomon Brothers, in New York.
In 1950, he married Mary Kay Gilbertson, and they began raising their family shortly thereafter. They eventually settled in Locust, in 1961, where they resided for the rest of their lives.
Known for his great sense of humor and dry wit, he also loved spending time with his family and enjoyed the numerous gatherings that took place in his Locust home.
Charlie was an outdoorsman, an interest developed when as a youngster, he spent his summers on a working farm in the Catskill Mountains. It was there he developed his passion for fly fishing and his love for animals.
He was an avid tennis player, and enjoyed taking his family on ski vacations in Vermont, always with the Gilbertson, Westphal or Newhouse families.
Charlie was a skilled, self-taught carpenter and mechanic and was most content working around his farm, fixing things. After retiring from Salomon Brothers, at age 47, he spent the next couple of years building a cabin, nestled in the hills of South Woodstock, Vermont. There Mary Kay and he spent summers with their horses, cats and dogs.
He was predeceased by his precious granddaughter, Kat. Charlie is survived by his six children, Jane, Charley (wife Evie), Lise, Jeff, Scott and Jim; also his six grandchildren, Jace (wife Sinara), Charlie, Melissa, James Jr, Phillip and William.
Funeral arrangements will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Monmouth County SPCA, Box 93, Eatontown, NJ 07724. Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank, is in charge arrangements.
