Charles John McCarron

Charles John McCarron of Palm Springs, FL, passed away on May 10, 2024, after a long illness. Charles, Chuck or Chuckles to those who knew him, was born into an established Irish family in Chicago, IL, on March 29, 1943. His father, Charles Aloysius McCarron, worked in real estate and his mother, Rosemary (nee Kerwin) raised young Charles and his four siblings, Cissy, Aimee, Johnny, and Margaret.

After a time in the US Army, Charles followed in his father’s footsteps to work in real estate. In the late 1960’s, he met Anita Gustafson who would become his wife of 52 years and mother to his two children, Theresa and Aimee. In 1981, tired of the harsh Chicago winters, the McCarron family moved to Palm Beach County, FL, where Charles quickly became a fixture in the South Florida folk and bluegrass music scene. In 1987, he and Anita opened Old Dixie Pickers, a stringed-instrument shop that became known for its “Jam Session Sundays,” a day when the store would open its doors to the greater music community in South Florida to bring their instruments and play.

In later years, Charles rejoined the real estate game but never lost his love for music, always owning more guitars and banjos than his family felt one person needs. As his health declined, his happiest moments were those he shared with his grandchildren, Charles and Juju. He is survived by his wife, Anita McCarron, children, Theresa McCarron and Aimee McCarron (Keith), grandchildren Charles Zaremba and Juliette “Juju” Gaumond, and sister Margaret Buckman (Jim), as well as a dozen nieces and nephews.