Charles Andrew “Charlie” Cassat, 85, of Fayetteville died on Sunday, July 26, 2026, in the home he designed and built. He loved his home and disliked hospitals, so he died in a good place. He was married to Dorothy Clinehens Cassat for 59 years and together they raised two children. He was committed to ensuring that his children were independent, strong-willed, generous, and detail-oriented—values that guided his life.

Charles was born November 1, 1940, in Johnson, Arkansas to Harold Cassat and Mildred Cardwell. He was educated in a two-room schoolhouse until his father decided he needed a better education and then attended and graduated from University High School in Fayetteville. He was introduced to his trade while working at Sines Auto Body and Green Chevrolet. He quickly began his own business, first upholstering car seats on his mother’s back porch then steadily growing the thriving Cassat Auto Upholstery, which specialized in cars, boats, and planes, a business his son and grandson continue to operate. People commonly refer to Charles as a “legend.” He had an encyclopedic knowledge of fabric and could tell you the year and make of every fabric swatch, even when he was afflicted with Alzheimer’s. While his upholstery business was dedicated to the craft of interior restoration, his shop became an informal social club where friends stopped in over the decades to shoot the breeze and fix the problems of the world. His excellent memory and relish for storytelling were unmatched. Charlie seemed to know everyone in Northwest Arkansas, seeing someone he knew everywhere he went, even on vacations.

Behind his sometimes gruff exterior was a quiet generosity. When Township Road was first widened, he took each of the workers a turkey during the holidays. When the waitresses at his favorite lunch places were having troubles, he would slip them money. For the elderly man alone at Thanksgiving, he’d quietly leave his own family gathering to take him a plate of food. Having grown up without a lot, he quietly took care of many people who needed help in his community. He will be remembered for his sharp wit, keen observations of people, his ability to tackle any project and do it the right way the first time, and his love of his family, pets, pecan pie, music from the 1950s and 1960s, and really nice shoes.

Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Clinehens Cassat; a son, Chuck Cassat, and wife, Darlene, of Fayetteville; a daughter, Stacie Cassat Green, and husband, Jon, of Harvard, Massachusetts; and four grandchildren, Emily Cassat and Cody Cassat of Fayetteville, and Jasmine Green and Milo Green of Harvard, Massachusetts.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, August 3, 2026 at Mt. Comfort Presbyterian Church. Burial will follow at Mt. Comfort Cemetery (next door).

There is no scheduled visitation.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Mt. Comfort Presbyterian Church Community Garden, 3816 West Mount Comfort Road, Fayetteville, AR 72704.