Judith Poindexter said her husband, the Rev. Canon Charles L.L. Poindexter, fell in love with the Lord early in life.

She lovingly refers to a picture of him at age 4 looking through a Bible.

“Early on, he had his head set on being a priest,” Mrs. Poindexter said.

Canon Poindexter followed his childhood dream and served in the priesthood for more than five decades, including as rector at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on North Side from 1998 to 2004.

Mrs. Poindexter said it was a match made in heaven.

“He loved people and he loved helping them solve their problems,” she said. “He had a passion for it.”

The community is remembering Canon Poindexter following his death Nov. 25, 2014. He was 82.

A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, at St. Philip’s, 2900 Hanes Ave.

A second memorial will be held at another church he led, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, on Saturday, Jan. 10.

Canon Poindexter was born April 11, 1932, in Richmond, one of four siblings.

He graduated from Armstrong High School in 1949 and continued his education at Virginia Union University and West Virginia State University.

He later attended the Philadelphia Divinity School, the General Theological Seminary in New York and Chichester Theology Seminary in England.

Canon Poindexter was ordained in 1958 in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.

He met his future wife when she moved to White Plains, N.Y., outside of New York City, to accept a teaching job. They married after dating about two years and raised three children.

He began his ministry in Yonkers, N.Y., then was called to Philadelphia to be rector of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in 1964. In 1968, he oversaw the merger of St. Barnabas and St. Luke’s.

Under Canon Poindexter’s leadership, St. Luke’s became one of the largest and wealthiest parishes in the Diocese of Pennsylvania.

In 1969, Canon Poindexter founded St. Barnabas Episcopal School, where he was headmaster until 1975.

During his 33 years of ministry in Philadelphia, he served on many boards and diocesan committees.

He retired from St. Luke’s in 1994 and continued his service to ministry in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

He was called home to Richmond in 1999, serving as priest in charge at St. Philip’s for six years, assisting at Old Christ Church, Emmanuel Church and as interim rector at the Church of the Epiphany.

Canon Poindexter was a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.

“Charles loved artwork,” his wife added. “He loved beautiful pieces of artwork and he loved planting flowers and trees in the yard.”

In addition to his wife, Canon Poindexter is survived by three children, Maria Poindexter, Byron Poindexter and Evangeline Poindexter; a sister, Susan P. Anderson; a granddaughter; two great-grandchildren; and a host of other relatives and friends.