Charles F. Ofner

Charles Francis Ofner June 25, 1914 Ð December 3, 2007 Charles F. (Chili) Ofner passed away comfortably on December 3, 2007 after a short illness. He is survived by his loving wife of 67 years Ruth Richter Ofner, sons and spouses, Charles R. and Diane P. Ofner of Houston, Texas, Lee H. and Cheri Ofner of Colorado Springs, Colorado, grandchildren Charles L. Ofner of Houston Texas, Jay Ofner, Lt. U.S. Navy, of Honolulu, Hawaii, Courtney Ofner Olson, Captain, U.S. Air Force, of San Antonio, Texas, great-granddaughters Amanda & Evie of Honolulu and Kylie of San Antonio, brother-in-law Paul Richter of Ennis, Texas, sister-in-law Mrs. Glenn H. Richter of Houston, Texas, and a number of nieces, nephews, and great nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Ofner and sisters Virginia Dabbs and Margaret Ford. Chili was born in San Antonio, Texas, on June 25, 1914. He graduated from Texas Military Institute in 1932. Some of his fondest memories from his high school days were his senior class review by General Douglas McArthur with his life-long friend and business associate Dick Eiser and tarpon fishing in Port Aransas with another dear friend Joe Frost. He graduated from Rice Institute in 1936 with a degree in electrical engineering, having been awarded membership in the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi. During his Rice days he met his beloved, life long partner Annie Ruth Richter. They were married in Ennis, Texas, in 1940, and moved to Houston where he continued his work for Houston Lighting and Power. He received a direct commission in the U. S. Army in 1941 and served in the military intelligence field in Washington D.C. and Bury, England. Although he was in London on several occasions during the bombing, he often stated, I never heard a shot fired in anger. He was discharged from the Army Reserve in 1950 with the rank of Major. Upon completing his active army duty in Washington, he and Ruth and newborn son Charles moved to Houston where he took up a position with the privately owned industrial and refinery supply firm, Wallace Co. Inc. The family, now with the two sons, moved to Corpus Christi in 1952 in order for Chili to open a branch of the Wallace Co. to support the post-war construction boom in south Texas. He spent the rest of his working career with the firm, retiring in 1977. Chili loved reading, bridge, crossword puzzles, do it yourself projects at home and domestic and foreign travel, particularly in later years when he and Ruth visited Charles and Diane in their overseas postings in Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and London. He was a kind and loving man with the highest principles and ethics, and he will be missed dearly by his family and friends. A memorial service will be held at Seaside Memorial Park Chapel on Friday, December 7, at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to Rice University (Class of 1936 Scholarship Fund, Rice University, Office of Development-MS-81, Post Office Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892) to which he was so grateful for his fine education, or to the charity of choice. The family will welcome friends at a reception at Seaside immediately following. Internment will be attended by family at a later date in Ennis, Texas. SEASIDE FUNERAL HOME Corpus Christi, TX 78412 (361) 992-9411