NATCHEZ — Loved ones of Charles Moroney remember him for the complexities that made him unique — including his architectural acumen, the passion he held for golf or his innate ability to tell stories.

Moroney, who died Monday at the age of 80, was meticulous by nature, his son Curtis Moroney said.

Curtis told stories about how his father, who always loved and appreciated nature, came to love planting tomatoes. Unlike most who might plant in rows, Charles did it his own way — he dug out 6-foot circles with painstaking precision that would make any architect proud, in which he would plant the tomatoes he bought from Holder’s Drug Store.

“He was very regimented and systematic about everything,” Curtis said.

That principle applied to every aspect of Charles’ life, including his love for golf.

An ardent golfer, Charles’ appreciation for the game extended far past swinging a 9-iron. Curtis said his father loved golf for the intricacies and designs that accompanied different courses — and Charles saw a lot of them.

As a former member of the American Institute of Architects golf team, Charles would travel to the United Kingdom to play against the Royal Institute of British Architects, Curtis said. Along the way, Charles played at numerous famed courses, such as the Old Course at Saint Andrews, often the site of the British Open.

“If you’ve heard of (a course), he’s played it,” Curtis said.

He also made plenty of friends while overseas, as natives would admire Charles for his knowledge of and admiration for their courses.

This admiration led to one of Charles’ famed stories, one that became Curtis’ favorite.

On a trip that many of Charles’ friends took to northern Scotland to play at the Royal Dornoch golf course, the group of eight men encountered a Scotsman at dinner and began to converse.

One of those men, Lane Feltus, recalled when the Scotsman asked the group, “So, where are you all from?”

When the group told him they came from Mississippi, this man said, “Oh, you must know Charlie Moroney then.”

“We said, ‘Yeah, we know Charlie well,’” Feltus said. “It was just kind of unique to be that far from Natchez, Miss. and meet someone who knew Charlie Moroney.

“He was a great man, he really was. We will miss him forever.”

In line with his attention to detail, Charles recorded everything about his golf experiences, from the score of every round he played down to the weather conditions, Curtis said.

“I’ve got one book that has every round of golf that he played since some time in 1980,” Curtis said.

That type of organization and structure allowed Charles to achieve success as an architect, which would have a great impact in the Miss-Lou.

One associate that can appreciate that impact is local architect Amelia Salmon, who worked with Charles through most of the 1990s.

“I asked Charles if he might let me work for him for a couple weeks, and I worked for him for nine years,” Salmon said.

Salmon named a few of the many buildings Charles constructed, including the Adams County Jail. She estimated that he built some 30 houses in just the 1970s.

But in most everything he built, he brought a unique perspective. Salmon said Charles’ buildings transcended the typical white-column mansion style that some might have pigeonholed into their designs, instead bringing a more modern and postmodern aspect to his buildings.

She also admired his ability to draw perspectives, which display an architect’s vision of a future construction.

“He had a remarkable gift with a pencil, both with sketches and — oh my gosh, he could draw a constructive perspective,” Salmon said.

In 1977, that unique vision led the construction of David and Sarabeth Rountree’s Vidalia house, which Sarabeth said was at first unexpected, but turned out to be a home they have loved for the past four decades.

“We live on a cotton plantation, and he designed a very modern home that we always felt was very befitting, even though it was not the old plantation home you expected,” she said. “He was really ahead of the times with all of his buildings.”

Sarabeth called Charles “a true asset” to the area and admired his ability to make contemporary architecture blend despite its traditional surroundings. In fact, Sarabeth said she is not sure most people truly understand just what Charles did for the Miss-Lou.

“I think he’s an unsung hero,” she said.

A 10 a.m. visitation will precede an 11 a.m. memorial service today at Laird Funeral Home Chapel.