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Wrightsville Beach
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Friends, family gather on Wrightsville Beach to pray for “miracle” for missing swimmer

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Scores of family, friends and we’ll wishers came out Thursday night for a prayer circle for Charles “Chuck” Kuebler, the Wilmington husband, father, business consultant and sports booster went missing off Wrightsville Beach on Tuesday.

Kuebler’s wife Rose, two sons, mother, brother and other family members joined dozens of friends at beach access no. 29 by Stone Street, where they said a prayer and told stories of Kuebler, who loved to play golf, watch baseball and swim in the ocean.

“I’m hoping for a miracle,” Rose Kuebler said. “I’m hoping and praying for closure.”

On Thursday,  the Wilmington Police Department’s SABLE helicopter searched over the waters off Wrightsville Beach from Stone Street north to around the Holiday Inn, as police chief Dan House said the clear water gave officials hope they could locate Kuebler. Members of Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue also searched the waters on jet ski.

Rose Kuebler and her son’s fiancee were at the beach all night on Tuesday searching the shore for some sight of Chuck Kuebler, who came to Wrightsville Beach on Tuesday morning to swim. He was seen at about 8:30 a.m. near Carolina Yacht Club by a lifeguard who was jogging by and recognized him. He was not see again and by 3 p.m., Kuebler’s family became concerned about his absence.

At 4 p.m., Rose Kuebler and family members came to the beach to look for him. Her husband would often come to the beach and swim, Rose Kuebler said, usually swimming south and letting the current carry him back up the shore. His car was parked in his usual spot at Roberts Grocery, his wife said, and a bag of his belongings was found by lifeguard stand no. 8 at Stone Street.

Rose Kuebler said she will continue the search on Friday, as as friend will take her by boat to search northern locations like Topsail Beach, where currents could have carried her husband.

Bernie Kuebler said his brother Charles’ dedication to the causes he cared about is why the gathering drew the big crowd, which included many of the athletes he mentored. Kuebler was active in The First Tee youth golf program and the Lane High School Athletic Boosters, where the salesman helped find needed sponsors for the school’s baseball team.

“He’s got a lot of brothers here,” Bernie Kuebler said. “He cared about all the kids, all over the county. He sold Christmas trees to raise money for the baseball team.”

Swimming in the ocean is a therapeutic activity for her husband, Rose Kuebler said. Bernie Kuebler said swimming was part of the athletic lifestyle that demonstrated his brother’s spirit.

While in high school, Charles Kuebler was injured in a warehouse accident where a toppled forklift crushed his legs, but he rehabilitated himself through intense physical training, swimming and running, brother Bernie Kuebler said. Charles Kuebler went on to play golf in college for James Madison University.

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