Charles Castleberry

Charles “Chuck” Barton Castleberry passed away on October 23, 2020, just ten days after his 58th birthday. He died of a heart attack in his home in Santa Fe, NM. He is survived by his only daughter Sabrina Jane Castleberry, a menagerie of beloved pets, his sister Cathy, and many close friends from coast to coast.   Chuck was born on October 13, 1962, to parents Maxwell Barton Castleberry (1942-1994) and Jo Ann (Miller) Castleberry (1943-2012) in the small town of Tyler in northeastern Texas. He was the second of four children born to his parents; Christopher Keith Castleberry (1961-1988), Cathryn Jeanne Castlberry (1964 -), and Barton Scott Castleberry (1970-2012).     Chuck graduated from Plano High School in 1981, having performed in many plays and musicals, and where he created many lifelong friendships. He went on to attend college at SUNY Binghampton, in New York in 1982, continuing to hone his craft in the theatre department, before following his dreams to NYC in1983. There he continued to work as an actor, singer, dancer and model for many years, collaborating with many famed performers and to critical acclaim. During his time in NYC, he made more dear friends than one can count as he worked in and around theaters, dance studios and hot restaurants. In 1989, Chuck left Manhattan for Cambridge, MA and continued to pursue his career in the arts, and again found many enduring friendships in the restaurant and theatre scene there. During the summer of 1993, he lived briefly on Martha’s Vineyard before moving to Los Angeles in early 1994. There he continued to collect more incredible friends, and express himself through different art forms as he pursued work as an actor, all the while continuing to work in great restaurants. He loved to travel and was thrilled when his work in the entertainment industry brought him to New Zealand, France, and to Amsterdam.   Chuck had always wanted to be a father and have a family of his own, and in 2001, his wish come true, by deciding to become a foster parent. His lovely daughter Sabrina came home to him at just 18 months old in the fall of 2001. In January of 1994, when she was three years old, he was able to adopt her, and they officially became a family. They lived in Venice, where Sabrina started school, and Chuck worked on a meaningful climate change documentary project. He also continued his life’s work as a photographer, painter, and potted plant gardner extraordinaire. In the fall of 2007, he and Sabrina relocated to Santa Fe for a fresh start. Chuck worked briefly in real estate, continued to take photos, and do some modeling, while also finding himself in the high end restaurant scene once again. Chuck, of course found yet another wonderful coterie of friends and neighbors in Santa Fe, where he lived until his untimely passing.    Chuck will be remembered as a kind and loving person, a free spirit and an artist with an old soul, He loved making art and tending his garden, cherished his friends and travels, and could be heard singing and tapping away through it all. But most of all, he will be remembered for the love he held for his one and only daughter Sabrina, truly the apple of his eye.