WINSTON-SALEM — Deacon Charles Robert (Bob) Desautels passed peacefully on March 6, 2022, in the presence of his daughter and surrounded by the love of his family and close friends after 73 years of a full and active life. He served the Church faithfully as a deacon for nearly 40 years.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 2 p.m. Friday, March 11, 2022, at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, located at 355 Springdale Ave., Winston-Salem, N.C. 27104. Viewing will be held before the Mass, 1-1:45 p.m. A private burial will follow in Ashe County.
He was born March 8, 1948, to Lula Belle and Bernard Desautels in Ashe County. Eventually, their family moved to Lenoir and ran a small gas station there for many years. In his youth, he worked odd jobs including working at the gas station, driving a school bus and working in a candy factory. After graduating from North West High School in West Jefferson in 1966, he served in the U.S. Army, where he earned a Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam. He attended Appalachian State University in Boone, graduating with a degree in special education and a master’s degree in reading. He taught in Ashe County Schools for several years and presided over the Jaycees of Ashe County. He stretched his legs as an entrepreneur by owning and operating a traveling sales business prior to relocating to the Fayetteville area in the early 1980s. Wanting more stability and family time, he went to work for Piedmont Airlines and retired as shift supervisor in the technology services department at U.S. Airways.
He remained active in retirement, becoming a certified mediator and volunteer, and was named Red Cross Volunteer of the Year several times. He also rechartered Boy Scouts of America Troop 958 at St. Leo the Great Catholic Parish in Winston-Salem. He acted as the scoutmaster until all three of his sons became Eagle Scouts, and he remained active in the troop through his grandson's Eagle Scout achievement.
At 35, Deacon Desautels was also the youngest member of the Diocese of Charlotte’s first class of 19 permanent deacons, ordained on May 29, 1983.
Deacon John Martino, former head of the diocese’s permanent deacon ministry, once wrote of Deacon Desautels’ calling to become a deacon: “He was a traveling salesman who returned to his mountain home one cold Saturday to find his pipes frozen and broken. He crawled under the house and worked until 1 a.m. on the broken pipes. He had just finished fixing them but before they had thawed, his wife Peggy asked if they were going to Sunday Mass. Exhausted, he replied, ‘I am dirty and the water pipes are still frozen.’ He later recalled, ‘She persisted, so I said we would go if we have water in the morning.’ Early that morning they were awakened by the sound of ice flowing though the pipes. They went to Mass and that Sunday a letter from Bishop Michael Begley was read announcing the creation of the permanent diaconate for the Charlotte diocese. His wife urged him to apply, saying, ‘It was meant to be.’”
He prayed and discerned, and after encouragement from the program’s new formation director, Father Anthony (Tony) Kovacic, he applied and was accepted into the inaugural class.
Deacon Desautels’ vocation was meant to be, and his ministry always remained a top priority even as work transferred him to various cities. Soon after his ordination, he was transferred to Fayetteville, located in the Diocese of Raleigh. He was granted faculties and served at St. Patrick Church in Fayetteville for eight years, with an active role in the nursing home ministry there. When he was subsequently transferred to Philadelphia, he served as a deacon in a primarily Polish Catholic community. Three years later, he and his family moved back to North Carolina, to Winston-Salem. He was assigned to St. Leo Catholic Church in Winston-Salem, where besides reviving the parish’s successful Boy Scout program, he oversaw its prison ministry program for many years.
He survived by his wife of 50 years, Peggy Sue Desautels; their five children: Daniel Desautels (Johnette), Amy Deystone (Justin), Rebecca Williams (Ty), Adam Desautels (Rachel), and Paul Desautels; nine grandchildren: Francois and Dominik Desautels, Dakota and Noah Deystone, Zach and Gabe Williams, and Kiyah, Peter and Evangeline Desautels. He is also survived by siblings Teresa, Mary, Naomi and Steve, and preceded in death by his brothers Bernie and David.
Memorial contributions may be made to Maryknoll Lay Missioners, online at www.mklm.org; or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105, or online at www.stjude.org.
Salem Funeral & Cremation Services of Winston-Salem is in charge of the arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.salemfh.com.
— Catholic News Herald