Charles (Charlie) Daniel McCloskey, 96, loving husband, father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, of Poughkeepsie, NY, passed away peacefully on February 19, 2025, surrounded by his loving family.

Charles was born on September 3, 1928, in New York City. At two weeks old, he was sent to live with his godparents in Perth Amboy, NJ. He moved around a lot as a child, living with different friends of his godparents, but he considered his godmother, Sarah (Rogers) Van Syckle, known affectionately to his children as "Grandma Sally," to be his Mom.

Charlie was a proud veteran of World War II, having joined the U.S. Army near the end of the war, at age 17, and serving until honorably discharged in 1947.

Charlie worked for the New York Central Railroad from 1948 to 1954 before going to work for IBM. He enjoyed a successful career at IBM for 35 years. He has many proud accomplishments from his years at IBM, but his most cherished memory is it was there he met the one and only love of his life, Joan (Lari) McCloskey. While he was assigned to work on a project at IBM in Mohansic, he met Joan, who was working as a secretary. Thankfully, he overcame his initial hesitancy to date someone he worked with because their love would change both of their lives, and of course the lives of others, forever. They were married on July 11, 1964, in Yorktown, NY. Unfortunately, Joan died prematurely of cancer in 1994, at age 61, but Charlie treasured their 30+ years together. He never remarried, claiming "I got lucky once and that's enough."

Following his retirement, Charlie volunteered over 10,000 hours to the Castle Point VA Hospital across 20+ years, receiving numerous awards for his service, and continuing that work into his early 90s. In fact, he often transported veterans younger than he was around in wheelchairs.

Charlie was a huge supporter of Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, an organization that played a major role in supporting him during his childhood. In an effort to give back, for many years, he hired a bus and purchased tickets for kids and staff to attend a Hudson Valley Renegades baseball game. It was important to him to give youth an opportunity to experience going to a game and fostering a love for baseball.

Speaking of the Renegades, Charlie was a season ticket holder since their inception in 1994. From his seats behind home plate, he enjoyed keeping score of almost every game and the camaraderie with the many fellow season ticket holders he met over the years.

Charlie was also dedicated to the advancement of local youth baseball, having coached and managed several teams while serving nearly a decade on the board of LaGrange Youth Baseball.

Remaining to cherish Charles's memory are his daughter, Denise Cvijanovich and partner Pierce Smith, of Rhinebeck, NY; son, Daniel McCloskey and wife Karen, of Quincy, MA; granddaughter, Jennifer Villa and husband Steven, of Old Bridge, NJ; granddaughter Meghan Hannon and husband Patrick, of Vestal, NY; granddaughter, Kaitlyn Cvijanovich, and partner Matthew Oberly, of Hyde Park, NY; grandson, Nolan McCloskey, of Quincy, MA; great-grandchildren, Gianna and Nico Villa, of Old Bridge, NJ; great-grandchildren, Riley and Jackson Hannon, of Vestal, NY; and many nieces and nephews.

Preceding Charles in death are his beloved wife, Joan McCloskey; his godmother Sarah Van Syckle; his biological mother Mae McCloskey; and family friends Maurice (Joe) and Kay Chalk, who were like a brother and sister to him.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, March 2 from 2-6pm at McHoul Funeral Home, 895 Route 82, Hopewell Jct, NY. Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 3 at 10:45am at St. Martin de Porres, 118 Cedar Valley Road, Poughkeepsie, NY. Interment will follow at Hillside Cemetery in Cortlandt Manor, NY.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Charles's memory may be directed to Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club of NYC. (https://www.kipsbay.org/)