Charlie Ebersberger, longtime owner of Anglers Sport Center and beloved outdoorsman, passed away at the age of 69 on December 15, 2025. He was diagnosed with cancer and fought valiantly until his last breath. The following is a tribute to his life as told by friends and family. May all of you who loved Charlie find warmth in these words.
Anglers Sport Center has always been more than just a sporting goods store. It’s the heart of the Chesapeake Bay outdoors community, where many associate the smell of musk and alewife with the start of another adventure. At the center of it all for nearly four decades was “Fishin’” Charlie Ebersberger, a man whose passion for the outdoors was rivaled only by his love for family and community.
Longtime Anglers employee Sammy Greene felt Charlie’s kindness from the very first moment he put on his blue shirt over ten years ago. “Charlie made life fun for everyone around him,” Sammy said. He had a quiet way of mentoring through jokes, stories, and small acts of generosity. Once, when Sammy got a Perch Hounder stuck in his arm, Charlie didn’t scold him, but rather helped Sammy pull it out while playfully poking fun the whole time. When Sammy mentioned wanting to hunt whitetail during flintlock season, Charlie gifted him a muzzleloader. “It was unnecessarily generous,” Sammy recalls. But that was Charlie.
For Charlie’s children, Mike and Anna Ebersberger, Anglers was never just a store. It was their father’s heart made tangible. Mike, now the store’s operating owner, remembers his father as an avid outdoorsman as much as a people person. “He did the things he loved, and he did them with whoever came through the store,” he said. For Charlie, hunting and fishing were never about trophies or bragging rights. The competitions, the chest-pounding, the awards—they didn’t matter. “It was all about camaraderie, laughter, and connection,” Mike said. He learned early that for his father, being on the water or in the woods with a friend or family member was far more important than any record catch or kill.
Anna Ebersberger recalls her father as both parent and companion. “You can’t find a picture of him without him smiling. He was my dad… but he was also my best friend.” His humor, patience, and ability to teach through storytelling shaped Anna and Mike into the people they are today. “Everybody knew Charlie… rich, poor, important, not important—none of it mattered to him,” Mike said. Every customer at Anglers felt it when Charlie was around: a sense of belonging, of being valued, of being part of something bigger than themselves.
Walking through Anglers, you can still see Charlie in every corner. The organized chaos, the dead squirrels in the beer room, the jackalope mounted on the wall—each piece a reflection of his personality. Anna laughs when she thinks of it: “Mike and I are the epitome of Charlie. We have a lot of Charlie tendencies, and we’re always ourselves.” Anglers was never about perfection or ego. It has always been about joy, connection, and sharing knowledge. Just as Charlie intended it to be.
Charlie’s mentorship extended beyond his family and employees. He loved watching people learn, helping them succeed, and celebrating it quietly. Mike remembers how his father would beam at someone mastering a new skill: “He did it because he loved seeing people happy. That was his greatest joy—helping someone else succeed.” In those moments when Charlie’s generosity, mentorship, and humor created a sense of community, people felt welcome, included, and capable. Every day in the store Charlie left playful traces of his personality everywhere, from mischievous remarks to perfectly timed jokes, but never at anyone’s expense. Anna remembers, “He loved being around people. He loved seeing them happy. That’s what he did best.” Mike echoes this, noting that Charlie’s laughter and warmth set the tone for every interaction in the store, teaching lessons without lecturing, giving guidance without pressure, and showing that the outdoors was best shared with others.
Today, that legacy continues. Every event Anglers sponsors, every fishing trip, and every young hunter eager to down their first deer carries forward the principles Charlie lived by: mentorship, generosity, humor, and inclusivity. Anglers remains a gathering place where people of all skill levels can learn, laugh, and connect, echoing the spirit of the man who made it more than just a store.
Charlie Ebersberger’s greatest achievement wasn’t a 60” rockfish or a 12 point buck—it was the lives he touched, the community he nurtured, and the family and friends who carry his spirit forward. In Mike and Anna, his warmth, humor, and authenticity live on. At Anglers, his laughter resonates in every story told, every lesson taught, and every moment of shared joy on the water or in the woods. Through his family and the community he built, Charlie’s heart still beats across the Chesapeake Bay, a testament to a life lived fully, loved deeply, and shared freely.