Obituary of Charles Preston Rozier

Capt. Charles Preston Rozier Sr. USN (ret) (charlie), 91, a resident of Ingleside at Rock Creek in Washington D.C., died peacefully on Sunday, April 15, 2012, of cancer. Captain Rozier was born on November 25, 1920 in Sparta, Georgia, the sixth of seven children of Elleene Burnet Rozier and Edward Alexander Rozier II. He attended Emory University in Atlanta and was later appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. Graduating in 1943, he was immediately sent overseas, first seeing action aboard the U.S.S. Tuscaloosa at the Battle of Normandy, and subsequently serving in the Pacific at the Battle of Okinawa. In 1962, as commander of the U.S.S. Charles P. Cecil, he was instrumental in forcing a Russian submarine to surface during the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the Vietnam War, he was commander of the U.S.S. Camden, and later served as Commodore of a destroyer squadron. Over the course of his naval career, Captain Rozier was awarded numerous medals and honors, including the Bronze Star, Navy Commendation Medal, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; and obtained graduate degrees from MIT and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After his retirement from the Navy in 1972, Captain Rozier worked for twenty years as a systems analyst for TRW in McLean, VA. At the age of 72 he retired, and for the next twenty years volunteered for Accuracy in Media in Washington D.C. Mr. Rozier enjoyed singing with the Ingleside Singers at his retirement community where he also chaired two committees. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Clair Price Rozier; their three children, Charles Preston Rozier Jr., Louis Harris Rozier II, and Clair Rozier Reid; five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Frances Rozier Birdsong, and his brother, Louis Harris Rozier, both of Sparta, Georgia. Memorial services will be held at the Columbarium of the U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD on May 14th at 11:00am.. Memorial contributions may be made to the U. S. Naval Academy Annual Fund at the following address: USNAF Gift Processing, 291 Wood Road , Annapolis, MD 21402.