Charles Wayne Free, 82, of Freestone County, passed away on Sunday, May 31, 2015, after a fall that resulted in two hip replacements in less than two months. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m., Tuesday June 2, 2015, at Capps Memorial Chapel, followed by interment in Dew Cemetery.
Charles was born in a log cabin somewhere in the Freestone County area of Teague, Texas, to the late Kermit Alson and Rosa Lena Jones Free. He attended the Church of Christ as a young man and graduated from Teague High School with the Class of 1950. He went on to live in Houston with his Uncle Lewis and Aunt Billie, where his Uncle Lewis was able to help guide him into the Merchant Marines as an Ordinary Seaman. A career that many of the men in the Free family pursued, and work Wayne welcomed, "I didn’t mind work." He developed one of the strongest work ethics, doing more than was expected of him every day.
He served in the U.S. Army after the Korean War. He returned home to ask for Shirley Gehrels' hand in marriage, "before someone else asked her," he would recount. He went on to have a career as a draftsman and surveyor for Seismic Engineering which had he and Shirley, along with the girls, packing up and moving to numerous states and cities until they finally settled in Burkburnett, Texas, in 1966, where he went to work for Darr Equipment Company in Wichita Falls, TX.
His career advancements with Darr brought the family to their home in Southlake, Texas. Charlie retired from Darr in 1998 after 32 years of loyal service. Charles had the ability to learn, and he put that ability to use educating himself formally and informally on subjects that not only benefitted his career, but also provided enjoyment of hobbies among which included; photography, astronomy, politics, and even a little oil painting.
He was a bit of a wrangler; hunting as a young boy, then moving on to the enjoyment of fishing in bigger lakes beyond the farm ponds. He had a boat that he and Shirley would take out on Grapevine Lake, Lake Whitney, and trips to Lake Texhoma yielded some striped bass that were worthy of being mounted and hung proudly above the fireplace.
After retirement from Darr, Charlie then spent a great deal of time at his family farm in Teague, Texas, where the extra time afforded the opportunities to build miles, and miles, and miles of fences at the Gehrels’ family farm during the extremely HOT summer months. Eventually, Shirley joined Wayne to enjoy the retired lifestyle. They enjoyed having coffee in the mornings on the front porch, sitting on the back porch in the afternoons, occasionally enjoying a glass of wine, and reflecting on funny sayings from the kids and grandkids.
Charles was beloved by many. He was a man of few, but profound words. He offered thoughtful insight to those who sought out his sage wisdom, and his guidance was peppered with a sense of humor, for the most part; serious, but not too serious. His approach to life included some sound guiding principles of knowing the difference between right and wrong.
He was preceded in death by his father, Kermit A. Free; his mother, Rosa "Rose" Jones Long and step-father, Q.V. Long; and a younger brother, Gene.
Charles is survived by his wife and companion of 58 years, Shirley Gehrels Free; daughters, Deborah Chandler and husband, Joe, of Azle, Texas, and Lisa Zehm and husband, Bucky, of Cypress, Texas; grandchildren: Janine Chandler, Audra Chandler Hollar and husband, Russell, Candice Chandler Scott and husband, Jamie, Gabriel Chandler, John Daniel Chandler, Robert and Katherine Zehm; along with many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Z18
Charles was born in a log cabin somewhere in the Freestone County area of Teague, Texas, to the late Kermit Alson and Rosa Lena Jones Free. He attended the Church of Christ as a young man and graduated from Teague High School with the Class of 1950. He went on to live in Houston with his Uncle Lewis and Aunt Billie, where his Uncle Lewis was able to help guide him into the Merchant Marines as an Ordinary Seaman. A career that many of the men in the Free family pursued, and work Wayne welcomed, "I didn’t mind work." He developed one of the strongest work ethics, doing more than was expected of him every day.
He served in the U.S. Army after the Korean War. He returned home to ask for Shirley Gehrels' hand in marriage, "before someone else asked her," he would recount. He went on to have a career as a draftsman and surveyor for Seismic Engineering which had he and Shirley, along with the girls, packing up and moving to numerous states and cities until they finally settled in Burkburnett, Texas, in 1966, where he went to work for Darr Equipment Company in Wichita Falls, TX.
His career advancements with Darr brought the family to their home in Southlake, Texas. Charlie retired from Darr in 1998 after 32 years of loyal service. Charles had the ability to learn, and he put that ability to use educating himself formally and informally on subjects that not only benefitted his career, but also provided enjoyment of hobbies among which included; photography, astronomy, politics, and even a little oil painting.
He was a bit of a wrangler; hunting as a young boy, then moving on to the enjoyment of fishing in bigger lakes beyond the farm ponds. He had a boat that he and Shirley would take out on Grapevine Lake, Lake Whitney, and trips to Lake Texhoma yielded some striped bass that were worthy of being mounted and hung proudly above the fireplace.
After retirement from Darr, Charlie then spent a great deal of time at his family farm in Teague, Texas, where the extra time afforded the opportunities to build miles, and miles, and miles of fences at the Gehrels’ family farm during the extremely HOT summer months. Eventually, Shirley joined Wayne to enjoy the retired lifestyle. They enjoyed having coffee in the mornings on the front porch, sitting on the back porch in the afternoons, occasionally enjoying a glass of wine, and reflecting on funny sayings from the kids and grandkids.
Charles was beloved by many. He was a man of few, but profound words. He offered thoughtful insight to those who sought out his sage wisdom, and his guidance was peppered with a sense of humor, for the most part; serious, but not too serious. His approach to life included some sound guiding principles of knowing the difference between right and wrong.
He was preceded in death by his father, Kermit A. Free; his mother, Rosa "Rose" Jones Long and step-father, Q.V. Long; and a younger brother, Gene.
Charles is survived by his wife and companion of 58 years, Shirley Gehrels Free; daughters, Deborah Chandler and husband, Joe, of Azle, Texas, and Lisa Zehm and husband, Bucky, of Cypress, Texas; grandchildren: Janine Chandler, Audra Chandler Hollar and husband, Russell, Candice Chandler Scott and husband, Jamie, Gabriel Chandler, John Daniel Chandler, Robert and Katherine Zehm; along with many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Z18
Charles Wayne Free, 82, of Freestone County, passed away on Sunday, May 31, 2015, after a fall that resulted in two hip replacements in less than two months. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m., Tuesday June 2, 2015, at Capps Memorial Chapel, followed by interment in Dew Cemetery.
Charles was born in a log cabin somewhere in the Freestone County area of Teague, Texas, to the late Kermit Alson and Rosa Lena Jones Free. He attended the Church of Christ as a young man and graduated from Teague High School with the Class of 1950. He went on to live in Houston with his Uncle Lewis and Aunt Billie, where his Uncle Lewis was able to help guide him into the Merchant Marines as an Ordinary Seaman. A career that many of the men in the Free family pursued, and work Wayne welcomed, "I didn’t mind work." He developed one of the strongest work ethics, doing more than was expected of him every day.
He served in the U.S. Army after the Korean War. He returned home to ask for Shirley Gehrels' hand in marriage, "before someone else asked her," he would recount. He went on to have a career as a draftsman and surveyor for Seismic Engineering which had he and Shirley, along with the girls, packing up and moving to numerous states and cities until they finally settled in Burkburnett, Texas, in 1966, where he went to work for Darr Equipment Company in Wichita Falls, TX.
His career advancements with Darr brought the family to their home in Southlake, Texas. Charlie retired from Darr in 1998 after 32 years of loyal service. Charles had the ability to learn, and he put that ability to use educating himself formally and informally on subjects that not only benefitted his career, but also provided enjoyment of hobbies among which included; photography, astronomy, politics, and even a little oil painting.
He was a bit of a wrangler; hunting as a young boy, then moving on to the enjoyment of fishing in bigger lakes beyond the farm ponds. He had a boat that he and Shirley would take out on Grapevine Lake, Lake Whitney, and trips to Lake Texhoma yielded some striped bass that were worthy of being mounted and hung proudly above the fireplace.
After retirement from Darr, Charlie then spent a great deal of time at his family farm in Teague, Texas, where the extra time afforded the opportunities to build miles, and miles, and miles of fences at the Gehrels’ family farm during the extremely HOT summer months. Eventually, Shirley joined Wayne to enjoy the retired lifestyle. They enjoyed having coffee in the mornings on the front porch, sitting on the back porch in the afternoons, occasionally enjoying a glass of wine, and reflecting on funny sayings from the kids and grandkids.
Charles was beloved by many. He was a man of few, but profound words. He offered thoughtful insight to those who sought out his sage wisdom, and his guidance was peppered with a sense of humor, for the most part; serious, but not too serious. His approach to life included some sound guiding principles of knowing the difference between right and wrong.
He was preceded in death by his father, Kermit A. Free; his mother, Rosa "Rose" Jones Long and step-father, Q.V. Long; and a younger brother, Gene.
Charles is survived by his wife and companion of 58 years, Shirley Gehrels Free; daughters, Deborah Chandler and husband, Joe, of Azle, Texas, and Lisa Zehm and husband, Bucky, of Cypress, Texas; grandchildren: Janine Chandler, Audra Chandler Hollar and husband, Russell, Candice Chandler Scott and husband, Jamie, Gabriel Chandler, John Daniel Chandler, Robert and Katherine Zehm; along with many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Z18
Charles was born in a log cabin somewhere in the Freestone County area of Teague, Texas, to the late Kermit Alson and Rosa Lena Jones Free. He attended the Church of Christ as a young man and graduated from Teague High School with the Class of 1950. He went on to live in Houston with his Uncle Lewis and Aunt Billie, where his Uncle Lewis was able to help guide him into the Merchant Marines as an Ordinary Seaman. A career that many of the men in the Free family pursued, and work Wayne welcomed, "I didn’t mind work." He developed one of the strongest work ethics, doing more than was expected of him every day.
He served in the U.S. Army after the Korean War. He returned home to ask for Shirley Gehrels' hand in marriage, "before someone else asked her," he would recount. He went on to have a career as a draftsman and surveyor for Seismic Engineering which had he and Shirley, along with the girls, packing up and moving to numerous states and cities until they finally settled in Burkburnett, Texas, in 1966, where he went to work for Darr Equipment Company in Wichita Falls, TX.
His career advancements with Darr brought the family to their home in Southlake, Texas. Charlie retired from Darr in 1998 after 32 years of loyal service. Charles had the ability to learn, and he put that ability to use educating himself formally and informally on subjects that not only benefitted his career, but also provided enjoyment of hobbies among which included; photography, astronomy, politics, and even a little oil painting.
He was a bit of a wrangler; hunting as a young boy, then moving on to the enjoyment of fishing in bigger lakes beyond the farm ponds. He had a boat that he and Shirley would take out on Grapevine Lake, Lake Whitney, and trips to Lake Texhoma yielded some striped bass that were worthy of being mounted and hung proudly above the fireplace.
After retirement from Darr, Charlie then spent a great deal of time at his family farm in Teague, Texas, where the extra time afforded the opportunities to build miles, and miles, and miles of fences at the Gehrels’ family farm during the extremely HOT summer months. Eventually, Shirley joined Wayne to enjoy the retired lifestyle. They enjoyed having coffee in the mornings on the front porch, sitting on the back porch in the afternoons, occasionally enjoying a glass of wine, and reflecting on funny sayings from the kids and grandkids.
Charles was beloved by many. He was a man of few, but profound words. He offered thoughtful insight to those who sought out his sage wisdom, and his guidance was peppered with a sense of humor, for the most part; serious, but not too serious. His approach to life included some sound guiding principles of knowing the difference between right and wrong.
He was preceded in death by his father, Kermit A. Free; his mother, Rosa "Rose" Jones Long and step-father, Q.V. Long; and a younger brother, Gene.
Charles is survived by his wife and companion of 58 years, Shirley Gehrels Free; daughters, Deborah Chandler and husband, Joe, of Azle, Texas, and Lisa Zehm and husband, Bucky, of Cypress, Texas; grandchildren: Janine Chandler, Audra Chandler Hollar and husband, Russell, Candice Chandler Scott and husband, Jamie, Gabriel Chandler, John Daniel Chandler, Robert and Katherine Zehm; along with many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Z18
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