Gansevoort, NY - Charles T. Waldrop, age 76, died at Saratoga Hospital on Saturday August 16, 2014 after a short, intense battle with pancreatitis. He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1938 to Earl Parham and Julia Snipes. After Julia remarried to Louis Waldrop, Charlie lived in many locations, from North Carolina to Japan to Massachusetts before settling in the Saratoga Springs region in 1970. He served in ROTC and the US Army Reserves until being honorably discharged in 1968. Charlie received degrees from Wake Forest College and Vanderbilt University before obtaining his Ph.D. from Harvard University in History and Philosophy of Religion. He was a published scholar, a professor of Religious Studies, a registrar, an employee of New York State and a minister with the United Church of Christ. Throughout his life he advocated for social justice and encouraged the people around him to realize their fullest potential. By doing so, Charlie had the unique ability to connect and create networks with anyone he met, from all walks of life. His favorites included the reading class which met every Sunday at the United Methodist Church in Saratoga Springs, the regulars at Burger King where he would enjoy a sausage biscuit and some conversation, and his lunches with his closest friends fondly named, "The Theologs." He will be remembered, however, not only for his compassion and friendship, but for his laughter. He loved to tell jokes and had one for every occasion; your mood didn't matter, if Charlie told you a joke, you would laugh in spite of yourself. His excitement and enthusiasm in the telling made them wonderful. Charlie will be lovingly missed not only by his friends but by his family, his wife Christine Root, his son Andrew Waldrop and wife Jennifer, his step-daughter Heather Rakus and husband Christopher, his grandchildren Mackenzie, Claire, and Camden as well as his first wife Ann Chapman. He was preceded in death by his parents Earl, Julia, and Louis as well as his sister Judy Waldrop-Marler and brother Louis G. Waldrop Jr. Relatives and friends may call from 2 to 4pm Saturday, August 23, 2014 at the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Homes, 628 No. Broadway, Saratoga Springs. Funeral services will be held at 3pm Sunday, August 24, 2014 at the Saratoga Springs United Methodist Church, 175 Fifth Ave., Saratoga Springs with a reception to follow. We would like to encourage visitors to bring to the reception a favorite joke Charlie told, or one you think he would have enjoyed. Memorial contributions are welcome at Planned Parenthood, Mohawk Hudson, P.O. Box 5029, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, 518-584-0041 or Memorial Sloan Kettering, Cancer Center, P.O. Box 5028, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5028, 1-866-815-9501. The family wishes to give thanks to the nurses and staff at Saratoga Hospital ICCU, especially Jeremy, Tasha, Maggie, Sheila, and Karen L. who did everything they could to help give Charlie the chance at recovery. Your kindness to Charlie and support for his family and friends were tremendously appreciated. Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.