NATCHEZ — Charlie Toussaint touched the lives of many people, but he never wanted any of the credit. That’s because he was a giver and not a taker, longtime friend William Terrell said.

“He was not a person who wanted to be in the limelight,” Terrell said. “He just wanted to get stuff done for others.”

Toussaint died July 11 at his Natchez residence. He was 62.

Toussaint was a counselor at Southwest Mississippi Mental Health, Adams County Adolescent Offender Program and the Adams County Youth Drug Court Program, but didn’t leave his giving spirit at work.

He was also an active advocate for veterans — he was a Vietnam veteran serving in the U.S. Army 11th Armored Calvary Regiment. He also spearheaded the effort to for a Vietnam veterans support group in Natchez. It was his passion for helping veterans that former Natchez Mayor Larry “Butch” Brown remembers most.

Brown said Toussaint approached him once while he was mayor about finding a building in which the group could meet. Brown offered Toussaint the old golf club house at Duncan Park.

“I told him if they could clean it up and keep it up, it was theirs,” he said. “And he did that and really grew that organization.”

But just as much as he wanted to help veterans, he also wanted to help children. Toussaint started a camp for children that provided children a safe place, Terrell said.

“He was passionate about children,” he said. “He built this camp on Pine Ridge Road, and one day he got me out there in the woods with him. It was really remarkable what he was doing.”

But Terrell wasn’t surprised Toussaint had started a camp, because, Terrell said, that is just “what he did.”

“Once he set his mind to something, it was like laying in front of a tractor when the brakes went out,” Terrell said. “He was going to run over you. He was a guy who just knew how to get things done.”

And that can-do attitude definitely caught the eye of Brown. Toussaint served as the chairman of the Mayor’s War on Drugs during the Brown administration and was also the chairman of the Vietnam Memorial Project.

Brown promised to build a veterans memorial during one of his campaigns for mayor, and after being elected he called on Toussaint for help in fulfilling that promise.

“He did most of the grunt work and kept up with the activities and fundraising,” Brown said. “He kept the project in the forefront so we could raise the money. And it was no easy task, but Charlie took great pride in that.”

And even when he was dealing with health problems, Toussaint used his struggles to inspire others.

Several years ago, Toussaint was diagnosed with diabetes and later had one leg amputated because of complications. He used his story to convince others to take better care of themselves.

“One day, he told me ‘Never let a doctor tell you you just have light diabetes. There’s no such thing as light diabetes — if you’ve got it, you’ve got it,’” Terrell said. “He was always telling people about the need to have check up and take care of themselves.”

Terrell said his friend will be missed, because “there aren’t many like him.”

“Charlie was a great person, a gentle person, a kind person, an understanding person,” he said. “He’s a guy this community is going to miss.

Brown agreed.

“He was a giver,” he said. “Charlie was simply a giver.”

Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Veterans Memorial in Memorial Park.