Charles George Teas

Charles G. Teas died on August 27^th, 2023.  He was born in Manchester, the son of George F. Teas and Angela Themelis Teas.  He graduated Lincoln Grammar School (thought the City demolishing the school and the Victorian train depot to be dumb and cruel), Central High School, and the University of New Hampshire, with a degree in psychology. Upon graduating he received a commission in the United States Air Force with active duty at Amarillo, Texas.  The Air Force later assigned him to George Washington University for additional education in criminology.  Upon discharge he served a number of years as a Captain with the Air Force Reserve at both Hanscom and Bolling AFB. 

As a reservist he was once directed and privileged to inspect the Air Force’s most secretive aircraft, the U-2 spy aircraft.

Although not rated, and because of need, he was the co-pilot for takeoff in a C47 at LAX.  On another trip from Texas to Tennessee in a C45 he was also in the co-pilot’s seat when encountering a severe thunderstorm and asked by the lone pilot to take control so he could study the maps.

Through the Teas family, he established an annual grant to be awarded to a deserving New Hampshire student enrolled at a College or University who participates in the Air Force ROTC Program.

Leaving active duty, he was employed as a sales representative with American Tobacco covering much of Southern New Hampshire.  Nearing the 2^nd year end with the company, it increased its daily calls from 15 to 25 – with no increase in salary.  This was a pivotal event in his future employment. Leaving American Tobacco with no employment elsewhere, he decided to become a real estate broker specializing in income properties. His record in commercial property included restaurants, convenience stores, an oil company, a plumbing concern, a major downtown commercial land development project, and a popular department store.  He was proud of his success in sales and investments for over 50 years.  Thinking ahead if listings declined, he acquired income properties of his own.  He looked back at his leaving the tobacco company and not having had immediate paying employment - a lesson to be learned here is that you should have a job awaiting you when leaving one.

In grammar school he was selected by Principal Cummings to be a park director of Kalivas Park.  He was able to play baseball four times a week with both the junior and senior teams.  The pay was $14 per week.

Summer jobs during college were memorable.  Working for LP Cote Rigging, he was part of a team of four who twice a week was sent to unload a freight car of 900 one-hundred-pound bags of flour to then be delivered to Normand’s Bakery.  The following Summer he was employed by Auclair Transportation in similar work but this time it was the delivery of ball bearings.

He was active in sports and as a member of the local NOA basketball team, his most memorable team was a team formed with his brother Frank who defeated a local Catholic team, 24-2, at the Armory in Manchester.  That Catholic team was to win the catholic championship the following year.  The zone defense totally confused the opposition.

He was a multi-sports fan.  On one particular April day, he accomplished the following:  1) went to Fenway Park to see the Redsox – Tigers baseball doubleheader staying into part of the second game.  2) He left to witness the running of the Boston Marathon.  3) He then took the subway to Suffolk Downs for horse racing and 4) Returning to the Boston Garden he concluded his sports day by seeing a Celtics – Lakers game in the evening.  Four events, one day.

Early in his life, and throughout, politics was a major interest.  A run for alderman as a republican in the then Ward 4 was unsuccessful.  Years later, Ward officials were charged with voter fraud, having changed Teas votes to his opponent’s resulting in a fraudulent election.  The officials responsible served time.

He was one of the founders and a director of the Property Owners and Tenants Association who successfully challenged the city’s practice of increasing property tax assessments based on the sales price of the real estate.

When he believed to be in a financial position to do so, he went into horse racing for some ten years at Suffolk Downs and Rockingham Park until ‘The Rock’ shut down.  He was told by Rock management the reason for the Rock’s end was a major disagreement between the track and the horsemen’s union representative who demanded more racing dates and less purse money (track) or less dates with an increase in purses (horsemen’s union).  This was a major blunder in union representation leading to the demise of New Hampshire racing.  It was an exciting ten years or so.  His favorite horses were Arthur The King, Royal Tune Up, Harbourfront, and Mama G.

He also enjoyed his German police dogs, Alex, Tippy, and Jet, as well as his first pet, a Russian wolfhound.

One incident in his life was a difficult incident to report.  While driving his Mark V back from Rye Beach with a friend, Sally Beck, in the Epping area of Route 101, they were both amazed to witness a silver cylindrical object shining and hovering over them at about 200 feet.  Both he and his friend believed it to be a UFO.

Among his interests -he was a car collector.  Having in his collection, and partial to Lincolns, a 1977 Mark V (bought new for $10,300), a 2007 Town Car, a 1997 Town Car, his favorite ride, and a 1996 Buick Estate Wagon featuring a corvette engine.  Sports cars include a SL500, a 350 Nissan Z (best value) and his 2016 Porsche Boxster.  Older vehicles – a 1950 Packard, 1956 Cadillac, 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air, and a Cord Convertible (best style along with his Mark V).

Interestingly, he hitchhiked to and from college for four years without ever having been tardy for a class.

Jazz was another major interest, favorites being Stan Kenton, George Shearing, and Woody Herman.  He had met Herman several times at his concerts and once was told by Woody he would play at his wedding if that event ever took place.  He was at George Shearing’s 80^th birthday at Carnegie Hall.  With his brother Frank and other friends, he was a sponsor of an Errol Garner concert at a near sold-out crowd at Practical Arts, Central High.  One other memorable concert was at UNH where Artie Shaw, in his late 80’s, led a long swinging concert.

He advocated purchase of municipal bonds paying up to 5% interest, tax free, and blue-chip stocks.  He said investors were deceived after the country bailed out the banking industry and were rewarded with .04% interest savings accounts.

In his travels he personally met Richard Nixon, Frank Sinatra, football great Jim Brown, and Rocky Marciano, the undefeated boxing champ, and one of the McDonald brothers.

Nixon was at a Republican gathering in Concord, Sinatra was met at the Fairmount Hotel in San Francisco where he performed at a political event, Jim Brown at a Republican fundraiser at the Shoreham in Washington, and Rocky Marciano at a charity event at Suffolk Downs, and one of the McDonald brothers at his home in Bedford who took proper pride in showing of his share of the brothers’ sale of their business.

Fire was an unforgettable experience in his lifetime.  Just two weeks prior to his Air Force discharge, as a planner for a training mission, the destination which he selected to Tampa, Florida, from his home base of Amarillo AFB.  He chose Tampa instead of Phoenix.  Just beyond the point of no return, the C-119 lost oil pressure, caught fire in the no. 1 engine and could not be extinguished.  With altitude insufficient to bail out, his friend, pilot Jim Frazier, made a safe landing at Wichita Falls, Texas.

On December 7^th, 2017, his Hanover Street office building was devastated by fire caused by a tenant blunder.  The fire hydrant some 30 feet from the building was not functional, resulting in the property’s destruction.

Sister Julia, brothers Paul and Frank predeceased him.  Survivors include nieces Paula Teas of New York City, and Joanna Teas of Manchester, and nephews G. Frank Teas of Nashua, and Robert Teas of Alpharetta, Georgia.

This life story was written by Charles G. Teas in the years prior to his passing.

Services: Calling hours are Tuesday (9/5) from 4 to 6p.m. at Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, 1799 Elm St., Manchester. A Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday (9/6) at 10a.m. at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 1160 Bridge Street Manchester, NH 03104.

The family would like to thank the medical staff at the Elliot Hospital and the Community Hospice House who treated our family and Uncle Charlie with such care, empathy, and respect.  In lieu of flowers, we respectfully request that you please consider a donation to either the Community Hospice House in Merrimack (210 Naticook Road, Merrimack, New Hampshire 03054), or the Mary & John Elliot Charitable Foundation (701 Riverway Place, Building 7, Bedford, New Hampshire  03110).