======CHARLES RAY POLING======

{{ :charles_poling.odt |}}

January 31, 2015

Born August 20, 1989 at Herrick Hospital in Tecumseh, Michigan to Daniel Ray and Jamie Marie Poling.

He joined the family with a big sister, Brandie 4 years old.

There was a baby shower for little Charlie and his mother at our house in September. Several relatives and friends came to welcome him. 

One of the things I remember about Charlie when he was little was that he didn't like his parents to leave him.  When they brought him over to stay with us he would cry and cry and hide behind one of our chairs.  After they got out the driveway he was alright. Of course, he was glad to see them when they came back to get him.  I am pleased that he likes to stop by to see us now. 

He liked playing with his cousins when the family would get together for birthdays and holidays. 

Charlie played the percussion instruments in the home school band.  We had the privilege of being at some concerts when he played in the band.

Charlie, his brother and cousins used to sit at our card table when we had the family gatherings for dinner.  I overheard him say in recent times,  “remember when we used to hold up the card table with our legs”?  That is when I realized that I had them sit at the card table even after they had grown too tall to sit there.     
 
We went to several home school basketball games and church softball games that he played in.
 
Charlie had been so much help to us. Some examples are: He mowed the lawn, when Grandpa Ives was not able to do it.

One year we had about 50 bags of walnuts that were raked and picked up. He was a big part of that. The next spring we had 10 walnuts trees cut down.  So there were limbs to cut off and burn and he helped a lot with that project. After we had the roots ground up and hauled away, he and his dad hauled dirt in to fill the holes and plant grass seed. 

Charlie was our lawnmower repair person.  He changed the oil, replaced the blades, replaced belts, etc.

He has trimmed trees, trimmed bushes and shrubs, dug up lilac bushes, hauled sticks, trimmed around the trees and bushes, planted grass,  raked leaves, and cleaned out the eaves.  

He is good at fixing things. 

When we had the basement painted and cleaned, he moved furniture a few times.  He did a good job of building a new workbench, put new legs on our laundry table and hauled away junk. 

He moved furniture in the TV room, tore up old carpet,  painted a closet and moved furniture back in  the room. 

Home School graduation was in June 2007 at The Adrian Church of God, Adrian.