Charlie Jean Harris Zlobik

Charlie Jean Harris Zlobik, 80, of Port Charlotte, Fla., and formerly of Blytheville, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, in Venice, Fla.

Charlie was born in Blytheville to Gordon Vance and Ethel Elma Blankenship Harris and was a 1959 graduate of Blytheville High School. She was a cheerleader in high school and was always the life of the party. Charlie went on to receive her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Ouachita Baptist University.

Charlie began her teaching career at Luxora Elementary in 1968, and also taught in Braggadocio, Mo., and finally at Blytheville Elementary School. She taught first grade and was dedicated to being the very best teacher. She was best known for her book “How Connie the Elephant Got Her Scarf”. In 1973, her first-grade students knitted the 12-foot imperfect green scarf. On St. Patrick’s Day, Charlie and her students went to the Overton Park Zoo to present the elephant named Connie with their imperfect knitted scarf. In future years, her students knitted a mat for President Clinton’s cat, Socks, and a scarf for President Reagan’s dog, Lucky. Charlie retired from teaching in 1996, soon after the death of her mother.

After retirement, Charlie moved to Florida for the warmer months. She met her husband, Tony Zlobik, in 1999 and they married in 2005. Her life totally changed and she and Tony enjoyed going on cruise ships. They went on a total of 98 Carnival cruises. Carnival Cruise ships were Charlie’s favorite. She truly became “Queen of Carnival”. She and Tony always dressed in matching clothing and they became the couple to meet.

She never had children of her own. However, she had hundreds of children that she guided into the world of reading, writing and arithmetic. On one of Charlie’s cruises, she met a young college student named Sarah, and they hit it off from the start. Sarah considered Charlie to be like her mother and Charlie thought of Sarah as the daughter she never had. God does wonderful things.

Charlie was not always able to be near her family after the death of her mother. After many years, she and her two sisters were finally able to be together in May of 2018. Delores Ann Warren and Patty Sue Hudson were together with Charlie for several days at Delores’ home in San Angelo, Texas. The husbands, Tony Zlobik, Tom Hudson and Bill Warren, were there together to give support to the Harris sisters. Delores died the following year.

She was very talented and expressed herself through writings. For one of her class reunions, she wrote a poem and delivered the seven-minute poem to her classmates with a soft, memorable and descriptive voice, all by memory. Charlie would quote this poem to almost anyone who would listen and most had moisture in their eyes afterward.

Charlie loved everyone and that love was returned. Her warm, kind and sincere conversation was always touching and attracted many to her friendship.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by sister, Delores Ann Warren; and aunt, Veatrice McDearman.

Charlie leaves behind her husband, Tony Zlobik of Port Charlotte, Fla.; sister, Patty Sue Hudson of Bluffton, S.C.; cousins, Rodney Nation of Hot Springs Village and Reggie Holstead; brother-in-law, Bill Warren of San Angelo, Texas; two nephews, William Patrick Warren of San Angelo, Texas, and Thomas Gordon Hudson of Los Angeles, Calif.; niece, Karen Mikel Warren of Watauga, Texas; grandnephew, Finn Thomas Hudson; grandniece, Amelia Adelaide Hudson; and her spiritual family, Lynn, Jan and Jim McManus.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 2 p.m. in the Cobb Funeral Home Chapel with Bill Sullivan officiating. Burial will be private. The family will receive friends from 1 p.m. until service time at Cobb Funeral Home. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, face masks are required to enter the building. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.cobbfuneralhome.com.