Charles Kingsbury passed away at 92 on October 30, 2026. He was the only son of Charles Herbert Kingsbury and Daisy (Mason) Kingsbury. As a child he was called “Charles” to distinguish between his father and him but as an adult he went by “Charlie”. He was raised in Holliston, and felt a close connection to it his whole life. When he was young, the town was filled with aunts, uncles and cousins – his grandmother lived across the street! He had a gift for figuring out how to build things and make things work – his friends nicknamed him nickname “Gadget”.
Charlie studied engineering at Northeastern University, graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering. In 1958, after he was drafted; he married Norma Crutchley (also of Holliston) shortly before being deployed to Germany for two years and where his first child, William, was born. Upon his return to the States, he found a job in Connecticut working for Emhart Corp., where he worked for 50 years. In the course of his work for Emhart, he was granted numerous patents for packing machine design. During the course of work, he traveled around the world (literally), visiting places like Sweden, Italy, Thailand and Japan. He enjoyed using parts of the languages and accents he learned abroad.
After his second daughter was born, Charlie and his wife purchased a house in Manchester, CT where he would live for over 60 years. He was active in his son’s Cub Scout Troup and patiently attended every one of his daughters’ dance recitals. In retirement, he took up “round dancing”, gardened, golfed, bowled and reconstructed his uncle’s cottage on Lake Winthrop (Massachusetts). He enjoyed hosting Kingsbury family reunions (and a high school reunion) at the cottage in Holliston. He also hosted lunches for his cousins and holidays for his family in Manchester. He was a diehard fan of the Boston Red Socks and followed UConn Women’s basketball closely-he knew all the girls’ names and records.
Charlie was known for his meticulous tracking of details on scraps of paper, calendars and homemade spreadsheets; he was always proud to share how much gas he saved by driving his Prius hybrid and the burn-rate of his pellet stove! Charlie leaves behind his son William, his daughters Sharon (Tom) and Carole (Morris).
A service will be held at the Tierney Funeral Home in Manchester on November 14th from 10 am to noon with luncheon to follow at the Manchester Country Club. He will be interred in Lake Grove Cemetery in Holliston at a later date. In lieu of flower, donations may be made to the Manchester Area Conference of Churches or Northeastern University Department of Engineering.
