Charles Wesley Talpey

Charles Wesley Talpey

AGE: 83 •

Charles Wesley Talpey, of Kerrville, beloved husband and father, passed away Thursday, June 11, 2015 at the age of 83. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Kerrville with Rev. Donna Magee officiating. 'Chuck' Talpey was born in Wilmington, Delaware on April 30, 1932. He graduated from the University of Delaware, where he was a Men's Golf All-Time Letterwinner, with Bachelor's degrees in Chemical and Mechanical Engineering. He served in the United States Navy, having graduated from the Officers' Candidate School, from 1957 to 1960. He worked as a chemical engineer and then as a sales engineer for E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and, later, for Carborundum (British Petroleum). He had several patents registered while working for the du Pont Company. In 1965 he was transferred from his native Wilmington to Dallas, and he and his family grew to love Texas over the years. Upon retirement, he and his wife Carol moved to Kerrville. He was a lifelong athlete, pitching semi-pro baseball in the 1950's; and winning the Men's (Golf) Club Championship in 1962 at the du Pont Country Club, the Men's Consolation Match in the Club Championship at the Corpus Christi Country Club in 1976, and the Match Play Championship (as Flight Winner) at the Las Colinas Country Club in 1991. During his lifetime he hit three holes in one. He was also an avid jogger and a (little-known) pool shark. Chuck was an enthusiastic and talented photographer, and served as president and treasurer of the Hill Country Camera Club. He loved classical music, especially Mozart; and jazz, particularly Cole Porter and Dave Brubeck. He was a Charter Member of the Board of the Symphony of the Hills. He loved Alfred Hitchcock and Woody Allen movies and could recite passages from Art Buchwald by heart. He was an ingenious and hard-working family man and he loved gardening and fixing things around the home. He built his own meat smoker and could make an excellent smoked brisket. He was a loyal friend, always ready to lend a helping hand, recount a good story, or tell a funny joke. He will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Carol; his daughters Ann, Barbara and Catherine; and his niece and nephews Liese, Donald and Benjamin Kolb. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles L. and Beulah B. Talpey. Memorial contributions may be made to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, or to the charity of your choice.

The family invites you to send condolences at www.grimesfuneralchapels.com by selecting the "Send Condolences" link. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Grimes Funeral Chapels of Kerrville.