Charles Lloyd Sterling was born on March 20, 1945 in Paris, Texas to Lloyd and Mary Louise Sterling. He died on March 12, 2025. He was blessed with an amazing number of friends, refused to grow old, frequently wore bright green shoes and dearly loved his family and friends.
Charles spent his early years in Paris, Texas, where he attended Paris High School and excelled academically and athletically. He was a member of The National Honor Society, the Key Club and active in scouting. It was in Paris that he met Nelda Pat Smith and they began dating in the 8th grade. She later became his wife of 30 years and mother of his sons, Chadwick Sloan Sterling and Stanton Blake Sterling. Pat died of cancer at age 50. After Charles moved from Paris and traveled the world, he always enjoyed telling people he “studied in Paris.”
His scholastic and athletic abilities earned Charles a full scholarship at Texas Christian University where he was biology major, made the Dean’s List and played two sports in the Southwest Conference. He also attended Texas A&M Commerce for his graduate studies where he received his Master of Science and Doctorate of Education degrees. He was later honored with the Distinguished Alumni Citation.
Charles began his career as a teacher/coach in the Richardson School District, Richardson, Texas. While he taught only three years, many of his former students chose to stay in touch, considering him a coach and mentor for life. For seven years, he served in the central administration of the Richardson schools as Director of Health Services.
In 1980, Charles was selected by Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., to serve as Executive Director of the world-renowned Cooper Institute, a biomedical research and education center. Later, he served as president of the Cooper Enterprises, an array of health-related companies. During these years, he traveled throughout the world and became a leading consultant for health-related businesses. After leaving the Cooper businesses, he co-founded, Cool Zebra, a high tech company.
Throughout his career, Charles was called by many as a visionary. He created several significant programs that continue to impact the health and fitness of millions. He founded the Fitnessgram program, a youth fitness testing and educational system. It is being used in all 50 states and around the world. It is now the official health-related test of the United States, endorsed exclusively by the President’s Council of Physical Fitness and Sports. When Charles retired, 14.7 million students in 14 countries were participating in Fitnessgram. In addition, Nutrigram, ActivityGram and Healthy Zones schools are products of his creativity. In 2019, the United Nations produced a 90 minute documentary and interviewed him for his significant contributions to youth fitness around the world.
Charles received numerous honors and awards. He was awarded the prestigious President’s Lifetime Time Achievement Award in Washington, D.C. He was the recipient of the David K. Brace Award, the highest recognition of the Texas Association of Health and Physical Education, an association that elected him as President in 1980.
What many people did not know about Charles was his lifelong love of music. It brought much joy and many diverse people into his life. He often said, “Music connects.” He was a member of the Dallas Songwriter’s Association. Charles wrote the lyrics and produced an award-winning CD, Have You Lived It?
After he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he wrote a rap song as a tribute to those with movement disorders: A Tribute Our Peeps. He produced a video to accompany the song and it was viewed around the world. He followed this rap song with a trap song and another video to motivate those who wanted to extend their functionality as they age: Move.Laugh.Connect. He made a cameo appearance in both videos as Vanilla Shake. He continued to write and produce songs as long as he lived. In 2017, Charles was awarded the DAPS (Dallas Area Parkinsonism Society) Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with the Parkinson’s community.
As an outcome of the songs/videos, Charles and his wife, Susan, wrote a book, Move.Laugh.Connect. that outlined a group exercise program to help people extend their functionality. Also, they developed a training and certification program for instructors who could implement these programs. The entire program was gifted to the Cooper Enterprises to expand the program into the future. Charles wanted to make a positive contribution to the health and well being of all.
In 2004, he married Susan B. Johnson and they lived happily and zestfully in Dallas until death parted them. They were the poster couple for love and happiness in the later years. Charles will be profoundly missed and always remembered. He was preceded in death by his parents Lloyd and Mary Louise Sterling, his sister, Lynda Hammond Sterling and his first wife, Pat Smith Sterling. He is survived by his wife, Susan; his son Chad Sterling and wife Robin, and their children Peyton, Noah and Camden; and his son Stan Sterling, and wife Carolyn, and their children, Jackson and Natalie. By those closest to him, Charles will be remembered for his wonderful sense of humor, his continued generosity, his amazing creativity and his gentle and thoughtful soul.
There will be a private burial at Restland Memorial Park. A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held at 2:00 am on Saturday, April 26 at 2:00 pm in Bohannon Hall, on the Cooper Campus where he worked for years; 12330 Preston Road, Dallas 75230. Those who knew him and loved him are welcome.
