Charles James “Chuck” Fonzone, 82, of South Whitehall, died on Feb. 13, 2023, in Fellowship Manor, Whitehall.

He was born about four miles away, on the banks of the Lehigh River, also in Whitehall.

He packed quite a life into that short distance.

The son of the late Charles and Margaret (Tognoli) Fonzone, he attended Allentown Central Catholic High School, where he was class president and captain of the football team.

He then went to Lehigh University, where he played freshman football and baseball, pledged Sigma Nu, and graduated in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.

After college, he taught English at Easton Junior High School, while selling televisions and radios for Almart’s of Bethlehem on the side.

In 1965, he joined the Marine Corps and became an artillery officer.

As a Marine, he saw combat and earned the Purple Heart for wounds he suffered in Vietnam.

Upon leaving active duty, he briefly resumed teaching before enrolling at Duquesne Law School in 1969.

At Duquesne, he served as the managing editor of the law review and, more consequentially, met the love of his life, Mary Ann (Fifick), who would become his wife of 50 years.

He returned to the Lehigh Valley after law school and practiced in Allentown for nearly a half century.

He got his start as a public defender at Walker, Thomas, Karess, Lipson and Zieger.

He then started his own firm, Fonzone and Ashley, before retiring from practice in 2018 as a partner at Gross McGinley LLP.

Throughout these years, he was active in the Bar and community, serving as the commander of the Honorary First Defenders in 1990.

He loved the law, and his wide-ranging practice saw him representing private clients in all manners of litigation while serving as solicitor to numerous Lehigh Valley municipalities and the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority.

He was, more importantly, a dedicated husband, loving father, and good friend.

He enjoyed life and always had a smile on his face. Even at the end, when he was suffering from Alzheimer’s, he was constantly joking with his caregivers.

His family and friends will miss him greatly.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by sons Christopher and wife, Jill, and Stephen and wife, Brook; grandchildren Charlotte, Olivia, Myles and Juliet; sister Joan Geiger; and brother-in-law Adam James.

He was predeceased by his sister Margaret James and brother-in-law Vincent Geiger.

His Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. Feb. 18 in St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, 618 Fullerton Ave., Whitehall, PA, 18052, where his family will receive guests beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Interment with military honors will follow in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cemetery, Whitehall.

For those who wish to honor him with a memorial contribution, his family suggests a donation to either St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church or to the Alzheimer’s Association, 399 Market St., Suite 250, Philadelphia, PA, 19106 or at act.alz.org.

Arrangements were made by Gilbert Funeral Home, Whitehall.