Guntis (Charlie) Veits, 84, after a long, brave battle, departed this life May 5, 2016. Guntis was born in Liepaja, Latvia and came to the United States with his family in his late teens in 1950. After completing High school in the states, he entered the United States Air Force, where he would retire as Chief Master Sergeant, an accomplishment of extraordinary pride, next only to his children.  He enjoyed cooking and baking for all who were brave enough to share his personalized recipes.  A hobby not many realized he maintained throughout his life, was photography, made clear in the sheer volume of photographs taken and meticulously stored. But perhaps his most passionate hobby later in life, to which anyone who visited him regularly could attest, was soccer.   He was very well schooled on aviation, stemming from his love of the Air Force.  From his second career in shipbuilding, he developed a love and desire for naval craft and operations, rivaling that of aviation.  Survivors include his sister, Dagnija Veits, his children, Lawrence Veits, Laurenda Fluty, Denise Fish, and Glenn Stamm, nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren, and wife Margaret Veits.  A funeral service will be held at 11AM on Monday, May 9, 2016 at R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home. Interment will follow in Hampton Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.