Charles Dean loved living in his South Carolina neighborhood, with its manicured lawns and towering trees. It reminded him of his childhood growing up in a family that had run a timber business since the early 20th century.
It was one of those giant trees that finally killed him Hurricane Helene flew through Greenville last week and uprooted a red oak that crashed into his apartment.
But instead of throwing the tree away, his family members plan to use some of the wood to make a beautiful bench, table or other piece of furniture and donate it to one of the drug recovery centers where Charles touched many lives , said brother Matthew Dean.
‘Charles has helped many people who were alcoholics and drug addicts, and if we can take anything away from this it is that there is always hope. There is always hope,” he said.
The ground rained for days, and when the storm reached the southeast, it brought strong winds that uprooted trees and power poles across the region.
Dean is one of the more than 200 people confirmed deaths in one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history. Many died crushed by trees falling on houses or cars. Grandparents are among those killed in South Carolina found hug each other after a fallen tree killed them in their home, and two firefighters who were killed when a tree fell on their truck.
As the storm approached on September 27, Charles Dean texted his family to say he could hear trees falling outside as Helene ravaged the town.
“Right now in the middle of the situation, scary,” he texted his brother Matthew and his sister-in-law, who were watching him from 300 miles away in North Carolina.
“It’s like Mom and Dad’s old neighborhood trees, all old trees, and they’re falling over, scary,” he added.
A short time later, the red oak, about 21 meters high and 1 meter in diameter, crashed into the second-floor apartment, killing him.
“We told him we loved him, and he said he loved us, and that was the last message we had with him,” Matthew Dean said.
The eldest of five brothers, Charles Dean, 59, loved to travel and visited much of Europe. One of his favorite trips was a safari in Africa, but Spain was among the countries he loved most.
He was a fan of Barbra Streisand and Elizabeth Taylor and kept up with news about the British royal family.
Dean also enjoyed cooking and baking and watching political news, which he called “pure theater.” He often sent text messages to family about the latest political scandal, his brother said.
He moved to Greenville in 2011 and began working as a drug addiction counselor. As a recovering alcoholic, he found hope in helping others, according to his brother. Dean also worked at a hardware store on weekends.
“Never in a million years did we expect to lose Charles,” said Matthew Dean. “He was so healthy and so vibrant and had years to live.”
