Charles "Charlie" Emory DiSalvo

Charles "Charlie" Emory DiSalvo passed away peacefully on March 18, 2026, after a long illness. 

Charlie was born on May 28, 1955, on Long Island, New York. He spent his earliest years in Massapequa, and at age five the family moved to Woodbury. He was predeceased by his parents, Marion V. and Charles J. DiSalvo. He is survived by his older sisters, Stephanie English and Susan Horton, and by his younger brother, Theodore DiSalvo, along with numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, Aunts and Uncles.

Charles experienced the happiness of love in his life and has left two upstanding sons, Charles J. DiSalvo, III and Mickey J. DiSalvo, to carry on his legacy. And that legacy continues to grow as Mickey and his wife McKenzie are the proud parents of Charles’ grandson, August Emory DiSalvo.

Charles started his education at Walt Whitman Elementary School in Woodbury and went on to attend the prestigious La Salle Military Academy, as had his father. He later graduated from Syosset High School.

Charlie followed in his father’s footsteps in the restaurant business, working closely with his Dad at Charley’s Place, a fixture in the 70’s and 80’s at Roosevelt Field Mall, Garden City, NY. Charlie then went out on his own with his first restaurant in Plainview, NY.

As many New Yorkers do, Charles moved to Florida, building his first home in Lantana. He rejoined the family restaurant business, operating Mr. Dee’s restaurant in Pompano Beach. Fortunately, the NY Yankees spring training park was nearby as Charles was an avid, old-school fan of the pinstripes.

In the mid 1990’s, Charles had the opportunity to create a new restaurant in Stuart, aptly named Charley’s Flashback Diner. He and his father worked side by side for many years until the elder DiSalvo retired. This gave Charles his next and perhaps greatest opportunity, to open his own Flashback Diner on Federal Highway in Stuart.

He embraced Stuart as his hometown, raising his sons, being active in the community and just loving the vibe that he created in his restaurant. He was known and loved by many in the community.

Regrettably, Charles became ill and while he valiantly fought for control of his life, he had to give up on his iconic restaurant.

Charles had many interests as a young man including playing football with the Syosset Spartans football team, photography and as he grew in his teenage years, audio recording of live concerts. While such recordings are commonplace today, Charlie used a battery powered, portable reel to reel recorder, later switching to a rather large portable cassette recorder. He was a renaissance man of the modern day.

If Charlie could be remembered for just a few things in life those would be the close loving bond with his sons and drive of the restaurant business that ran through his veins.

Charles Emory DiSalvo died much too early and will be sorely missed. An interment ceremony will take place at Our Lady of Peace Cemetery, Royal Palm Beach, on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at eleven in the morning.