Obituary

Local wit and writer-for-hire Charles Conte arrived in Nashville in the 70s to pursue doctoral studies in literature at Vanderbilt. From an upstate New York family with Italian roots, Charles was horrified by 1970s Tennessee’s “Eyetalian” cuisine. With culinary skills learned from Mamma Eda, Charles fed friends his food and his ideas.

A collector of books and antique maps from around the world, Charles loved literature, art, film, design, his family, classic cars and baseball. His discernment in music ranged widely from classical to jazz to roots music. Ever the connoisseur of obscure red wines, Charles enjoyed challenging his friends’ palates while expanding their oenological horizons. Often ahead of his time, he argued for a dissertation on detective fiction and wrote a novel that remained unpublished because of its innovative structure.

Two days short of his 73rd birthday, Charles left behind the circle of loyal friends for whom he was often a lodestar and always a conscience. He is mourned by his beloved wife Carol Rabideau and her daughter Amelia Rousseau, his mother Eda and sister Christine Conte, brother-in-law Joel Viers, nephew Austen Arnould, and a small dog, Remi. As for his departure on the day of a conjuncture of Saturn and Jupiter, Charles would have had a firm opinion on whether Saturn or Jupiter was the superior movement in Gustav Holst’s Symphony of the Planets. He likely could cite any Shakespeare or comic book reference to the phrase “By Jupiter!” (Cymbeline: "By Jupiter, an angel! Or, if not, An earthly paragon.")

Memorial donations can be made to: Richland Creek Watershed Alliance https://harpethconservancy.org/tn-rivers/richland-creek-watershed-alliance/ or Tohono Chul botanical gardens https://tohonochul.org/