Charles Peter Motta, Jr., age 93, of Newark, DE passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 31, 2025. On September 13, 1931, he was born in Newton, NJ to the late Charles Peter Motta, Sr. and Louise Motta (Pandolfi).

Charles attended Fair Lawn High School where he played football in the backfield and matched his jersey number 78 by scoring 78 points.  Charlie, as he was then known, was recruited by the University of North Carolina with a full football scholarship and graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Organic Chemistry.  Then, he joined the United States Air Force and spent the next two years in Bartow Airbase, FL where he attended pilot training and graduated in 1956.  Among other bases, he was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska where he flew KC97 tanker planes as part of the Strategic Air Command.

After his honorable discharge as a Captain in the USAF, Charles and his late wife, Joanne, settled down in Old Bridge, NJ where they raised their family.  Charles worked in the chemical industry for Pfister and Allied Chemicals in Newark, NJ in the laboratory and as a plant supervisor.  In 1971, he went to work in the Toms River Chemical Company (later Ciba-Geigy) in Toms River, NJ, first as a plant supervisor, a building manager and in the latter part of his career there as the AZO Plant Manager.   From 1988 until 1998, he ran the chemical production plant of Fabricolor in Paterson, NJ.

Charles was an avid golfer and was always interested in sport activities such as fishing, running, and playing tennis.  He learned to ski when he was well into his fifties and skied in the Rockies as well as the Alps.   Together with Maria, he cruised the oceans, traveled extensively in Europe and the USA where one of his favorite places to visit was Alaska.  Charles was also a lover of the arts and music and visited many a church, museum and concert hall both at home and in Europe, especially the country of origin of his grandparents, Italy.  In 1999, Charles and Maria moved to Newark, DE where he enjoyed retirement until his death.

Charles is survived by his wife, Maria Vaneck.  He is also survived by children from his first marriage: his son Dennis Motta and his wife, Debra; daughter Deborah Murphy Motta; son David Motta and his wife, Lori; and son Daniel Motta and his husband, Robert Link (Bob).  Charles has six grandchildren: Sean and his wife, Sydney; Dorena and her significant other, Austin; Michael and Nicole; Kevin and his wife, Sherry; and Kerri and her husband, Robert who are the parents of Charles’ two great-grandchildren: Luke and Benjamin.

A celebration of Charles’ life will be held on Sunday, August 17, 2025 at R.T. Foard & Jones, Inc., 122 West Main Street, Newark, DE 19711, where friends and family may begin visiting at 2:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made payable to the “Wounded Warrior Project” and mailed in care of R.T. Foard & Jones, Inc.