This is one of the many and last AYA baseball teams Charlie coached over the years.
Charlie is pictured top right and son James bottom right.

AYA has lost a dear friend and dedicated member of the Alief Youth Association family. Charlie Nava lost his life after battling a short illness.Charlie leaves his loving wife Donna of 14 years, our current AYA Board of Directors Secretary, two sons, Justin age 18 and James age12. Charlie has been with our organization for many years. He coached his son Justin through his Mustang and Bronco seasons and more recently his younger son James. Charlie never hesitated to lend a helping hand. He put countless hours in at the fields with anything from Opening Day to a nagging water leak. Charlie did not limit his generosity to baseball alone but was often seen lending a hand with all three sports. What ever the league needed. One could always count on Charlie to help out. Charlie's kindness and generosity will be sorely missed by all at AYA. Services for Charlie will be held 10/30/03 at the Earthman Funeral Home located at 12555 South Kirkwood and 59 at 7pm.

I looked forward to this season's preseason field work for the Bronco fields because I knew I could count on Charlie to help me get the work done. Over my years at AYA, Charlie had been such a great help to me in so many ways. His two sons were the same age as Matt and Meghan, and though they were usually on different teams, the competition was always friendly between us. He used to sit in his truck and watch the games and he would often watch my teams play even when Justin or James were not playing and he just said that he like to watch those teams play because of the way that they had been coached and I remember thinking that was was one of the greatest compliments that I ever received as a coach. I remember Charlie in his waders draining field #9 many times with a pump, hose, shovel and a rake. Whatever needed to be done he would do so that the fields would look good for the kids. Things never worked out that I had Justin on one of the teams that I coached, but I fondly remember working with Justin before he moved to England for his junior year. Matt's first season in Pony I had just had surgery and even thought Justin wasn't playing that season, Charlie became my number one assistant coach. He liked to sneak in behind the plate when I would be pitching batting practice with just a catcher's mitt and he would never flinch. I know how happy he was when James got on the Rangers this season and we would be together again. Charlie never made it out to AYA this season. Others did the work but no one took his place.

Coach Rick

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! to my AYA Family,

Words will never be enough to describe the comfort you all have given me these days with your thoughts, prayers, well wishing, and offers to do whatever was needed. I have never experienced such an outpour of love from any one group of people. AYA has pretty much been our extended family for the last six or seven years. Charlie has always loved baseball and truly enjoyed being out at the fields with the kids. Sometimes I think he loved maintaining the fields even more. I used to fuss at him that the baseball fields looked better than our own yard. He did it for the kids and his love of baseball.

I would also like to give special thanks to the AYA Board of Directors and Jean Germain for backing me up in my absence from AYA duties. Special thanks also go to Susan Brune, Cindy Franze, Charyl Russell, Chrissy Weltzbarker, and Jill Siepel for their "step up to the plate" and "take charge" efforts in organizing the reception. And also to Rick Meloy for the wonderful memories of Charlies' association with AYA. Thank you all so very much on behalf of myself, Justin, and James.

Donna Nava