Obituary: Charita Upkins first African American to be named Miss Tennessee USA passes away

Born and raised in Memphis, Charita graduated from Central High School and attended Springdale Baptist Church. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communications from the University of Tennessee. In 1990, she became the first African American woman to win the Miss Tennessee USA title and later competed in the Miss USA pageant, where she was a semi-finalist.

Charita built a multifaceted professional life rooted in service, leadership, and advocacy. She worked as a realtor with Fridrich & Clark and most recently served as a managing director at Beautycounter, where she worked for nine years. A mentor, motivational speaker, and passionate advocate for healthy living, Charita lobbied for stronger health protections and the banning of harmful chemicals in beauty and personal care products. She encouraged women to improve their lives through holistic emotional, physical, and mental well-being.

An accomplished athlete, Charita was an avid runner and triathlete who competed in triathlons and completed a marathon. She was also a member of the first all-female African American team to compete in the 199-mile Hood to Coast Relay in Portland, Oregon.

Charita was a true lover of life. She was fascinated by hummingbirds and found joy in music, often sharing videos of herself dancing—especially to Stevie Wonder. She loved God and worship music and had a deep love for people of all ages, with a special passion for mentoring young women. A lifelong learner unafraid of challenge, Charita returned to school later in life to pursue her calling in mental health.

She graduated from Belmont University’s master’s program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2024 and was pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Counseling, Education, and Supervision. She was a National Board for Certified Counselors Fellow and a member of the Chi Sigma Iota International Honor Society for Professional Counseling. She recently opened a private practice focused on counseling women.

Of all her accomplishments and accolades, nothing mattered more to Charita than her family. She was a devoted wife to Louis and a loving mother to Caleb and Zoe. The family cherished movie nights, travel, trying new restaurants, and working out together. They will forever remember her listening ear, gracious spirit, passion, humility, empathy, and the quality time she so intentionally shared with them. Charita was a loving mother, wife, daughter, and friend.

The family extends its deepest gratitude to Stuart and Leigh Ann McWhorter, Dave Steward, Terri Matthews-Woodall, BeBe Winans, Ashley Upkins, The Buntin Group, Anna Barber, Eli Bronfman, Brooklyn Harris, Myla Ogle, Tiffany Galaviz, Derek and Faune Watkins, Cal Turner, Christopher Teas, Reid Millard, the Lupton Millard Chapel team, Lea Makhloufi, and the many friends and family whose collective prayers and support were instrumental during this time.

Pallbearers are Lemanski Hall, Michael Archie, Gramps Morgan, Corderio Maclin, Armond Poindexter, Elder Barry Towles, Alex Carson, and Kevin Nickelberry.

Charita is also survived by her mother, Betty Ann Carson (Alex); her uncle Michael Stewart; and her uncle Herman Crawford. She was preceded in death by her grandmother, Ardena Crawford Stewart; her uncle, James “Dino” Moses; and her cousin, Thomas Branch III.

Visitation with the family will be held on Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. at Brentwood Baptist Church, 7777 Concord Rd. Brentwood, TN. 37027, Services will follow at 1:00 p.m.

A reception will be held at 3:30 p.m. at Belmont University’s Thomas F. Frist Jr. College of Medicine, 1314 Acklen Ave. Nashville, TN. 37212.

In lieu of flowers, Charita would be honored to be remembered through the Charita Upkins Hummingbird Fund at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
www.cfmt.org/hummingbird”