Charlotte Dragstedt Jeffrey's Obituary
Charlotte Dragstedt Jeffrey of Gainesville, FL passed away peacefully on December 8, 2023, having enjoyed a full life of more than 100 years. Charlotte was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 15, 1923, to Lester and Gladys Dragstedt. The oldest of 4 children, Charlotte grew up in Chicago, where her father was a surgical physiologist and Chairman of Surgery at the University of Chicago. In 1944, Charlotte graduated from the University of Chicago in Mathematics and took a position as a “computer” at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, calculating data from wind tunnel research divisions to support the war effort.
Charlotte married Major Thomas (Tom) E. Jeffrey, USA in 1947 in Chicago, IL and together they raised three children. In the early 1960s the family moved to Kabul Afghanistan on a USAID mission working with universities. There, Charlotte caught the travel bug and launched many adventures from Kabul to Pakistan, India, Srinagar, and the former Soviet Union. She kept this passion alive for the rest of her life, making many trips with Tom, family, and friends to see sights across the Middle East, Asia, South and Central America, and Europe.
Charlotte made her home in Gainesville in 1977 when she and Tom moved from Maryland, settling in the former home of her parents. She loved Gainesville life and all it had to offer, quickly joining the Garden Club, AAUW, PEO, and others. Charlotte took special pride as a volunteer at Shands Hospital for more than 30 years and encouraged Tom to join in the ranks, which they both enjoyed.
She loved bringing people together, from parties with Washington diplomats in her Maryland home to informal gatherings of friends in her Gainesville home. She put her experience as a teacher to use in Gainesville by initiating an English as a second language class for spouses of UF international students. She thrived in this conversational environment with many students becoming her fast friends.
While Gainesville was home, Charlotte’s heart was with her family place in northern Michigan where she spent every summer for more than 90 years. Charlotte was devoted to her large, extended family and was proud of each and every one. An “Aunt” to all, she delighted in digging up the secrets of young and old alike on her porch of the lake cottage.
Charlotte is preceded in death by her parents (Lester R. & Gladys S. Dragstedt), husband (Thomas E. Jeffrey), sister (Carol D. Stauffer), and brother (J. Albert Dragstedt) and is survived by a brother, three children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
A celebration of Charlotte’s life will be planned for early 2024. . In lieu of flowers, please share a memory of Charlotte on her tribute wall, and consider a donation in Charlotte's memory to The Village Foundation at https://www.thevillageonline.com/foundation/
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