Memorial ceremony honors former Blue Jay athlete, Oliver

Sunday, May 29, 2016
Seventy-three balloons were released April 11 in memory of former Charleston High School Blue Jay athlete Charlie Oliver, who died April 6 in a car accident.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- A memorial balloon release was held April 11 at Charleston High School to honor former Blue Jay athlete Charlie Oliver, who died April 6 in a motor-vehicle accident.

In memory of Oliver, a memorial ceremony and balloon release were held at the CHS Field House at John Harris Marshall Athletic Complex.

In attendance were friends of the family, former teammates and former CHS coach Dempsey Craft. Several current teachers were there, as well as students who participate in football, baseball and track.

Charleston High School coach Brett Blackman presents Issac Oliver, a current CHS athlete, with a memorial stone in honor of his father, Charlie Oliver.

CHS coach Brett Blackman presented Oliver's son, Issac Oliver, who is a current CHS athlete, with a block to be placed in the memorial garden at the new score board. Craft spoke on Oliver's character and physical strength, recalling his time coaching Oliver and others in the early 1980s.

Following the ceremony, attendants gathered on the track and released 73 blue and white balloons, which represented Oliver's high school football number.