In Loving Memory of
Charles Wade Surbey
October 21, 1910 - December 12, 1993
Charles Wade Surbey was born on 21 October 1910, in Akron, Ohio. His father, Jacob Orlando Surbey, was 36 and his mother, Carrie Irene Shaffer, was 32. He died on December 12, 1993, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the age of 83. He is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma next to his wife, Eleanor. He married Eleanor May Crissey on 24 December 1933, in Akron, Ohio. Eleanor was born on 28 July 1910, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father, Russell W Crissey, was 29 and her mother, Ethel Mitchell, was 24. Charles and Eleanor both grew up in the Akron area. Their marriage was the beginning a loving and devoted union that would span nearly five decades until Eleanor's death in 1982 at the age of 72. Their life together was marked by mutual support, shared faith, and a deep commitment to family that shaped the character and direction of their home.
Charles and Eleanor were the proud parents of Carole E. Lundquist of Tulsa, Oklahoma; William Wade Surbey of San Antonio, Texas; Glen Charles Surbey of Vienna, Virginia; Joan Louise Canterbury of Ridgeway, South Carolina; Gerry Margeret Craun of Pawhuska, Oklahoma; Jean Sophia Linke of Oktaha, Oklahoma; and the late Sue Ethel Shoemake, formerly of Palatine, Illinois, and the late David Jacob Surbey, formerly of Bixby, Oklahoma. Their children, grandchildren, and extended family remember Eleanor as a warm, steady, and gracious presence—an attentive mother whose quiet strength, hospitality, and encouragement created a welcoming home and reflected the same devotion to faith and family that characterized Charles's life.
Charles was a devoted Christian who served faithfully in various leadership roles in the Methodist Church, investing his time and gifts in teaching, administration, and lay leadership as an expression of his walk with Christ. He was known in his church community as a man of prayer, integrity, and quiet service, whose faith shaped the way he led his family, worked, and related to others.
Charles served in WWII and achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel, a senior commissioned officer rank, just below a colonel and above a major.
After the war, professionally, Charles had an extensive and distinguished career as a civil engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he was involved in major infrastructure and flood-control projects across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. He received his B.C.E. from the University of Akron, Ohio. His work required moving to Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1940 and Texarkana, Texas, in 1950 and finally to Oklahoma where the family resided in Altus, Prior, and Muskogee, Oklahoma. After retirement he move to Edmond, Oklahoma where he resided until his death. While in Texarkana he also served as a parttime and evening instructor at Texarkana College.
His work included large flood-control and levee projects on the Mississippi River in Louisiana while working out of Shreveport, extensive improvements at Altus Air Force Base, and various major highway projects that supported regional growth and connectivity in Oklahoma. In the late-1960s he was the Resident Engineer for the construction of the Webbers Falls Lock and Dam, Muskogee County, one of a series of massive water controls along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. His resume also included being the Assistant Resident Engineer for the Eufaula Dam and Lake, Oklahoma's largest lake, in 1961-1965. These roles reflected both his technical expertise and his ability to lead large, complex teams. After retiring from the Corps, Charles obtained his Professional Engineering (P.E.) license and continued his vocation as an independent consulting engineer.
After Eleanor's passing in 1982, Charles eventually found companionship again and married Alice E. Lundquist, who lovingly shared his later years and survived him. Together they sold the family home and moved to Epworth Villa in Edmond, Oklahoma, where they spent their final years in a caring retirement community, surrounded by friends and continued involvement in church and fellowship.
Those who knew Charles remember a man whose quiet strength and enduring love shaped the lives of those around him. He was more than a husband and father—he was a steady presence, a source of wisdom, and a man who believed in the power of hard work, humility, and faith. His legacy lives on through his children and grandchildren, each of whom carries a piece of his spirit in their hearts, as well as in the many students, colleagues, and church members who benefited from his example and leadership.
Though the years may pass, the memory of Charles Wade Surbey remains vivid in the stories told around dinner tables; the lessons passed down through generations, and the love that continues to ripple outward from the family and communities he helped build. We honor his life not only in words, but in the way we live ours—with compassion, courage, service, and a deep appreciation for the bonds that hold us together.
Charles Wade Surbey
October 21, 1910 - December 12, 1993
Charles Wade Surbey was born on 21 October 1910, in Akron, Ohio. His father, Jacob Orlando Surbey, was 36 and his mother, Carrie Irene Shaffer, was 32. He died on December 12, 1993, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the age of 83. He is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma next to his wife, Eleanor. He married Eleanor May Crissey on 24 December 1933, in Akron, Ohio. Eleanor was born on 28 July 1910, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father, Russell W Crissey, was 29 and her mother, Ethel Mitchell, was 24. Charles and Eleanor both grew up in the Akron area. Their marriage was the beginning a loving and devoted union that would span nearly five decades until Eleanor's death in 1982 at the age of 72. Their life together was marked by mutual support, shared faith, and a deep commitment to family that shaped the character and direction of their home.
Charles and Eleanor were the proud parents of Carole E. Lundquist of Tulsa, Oklahoma; William Wade Surbey of San Antonio, Texas; Glen Charles Surbey of Vienna, Virginia; Joan Louise Canterbury of Ridgeway, South Carolina; Gerry Margeret Craun of Pawhuska, Oklahoma; Jean Sophia Linke of Oktaha, Oklahoma; and the late Sue Ethel Shoemake, formerly of Palatine, Illinois, and the late David Jacob Surbey, formerly of Bixby, Oklahoma. Their children, grandchildren, and extended family remember Eleanor as a warm, steady, and gracious presence—an attentive mother whose quiet strength, hospitality, and encouragement created a welcoming home and reflected the same devotion to faith and family that characterized Charles's life.
Charles was a devoted Christian who served faithfully in various leadership roles in the Methodist Church, investing his time and gifts in teaching, administration, and lay leadership as an expression of his walk with Christ. He was known in his church community as a man of prayer, integrity, and quiet service, whose faith shaped the way he led his family, worked, and related to others.
Charles served in WWII and achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel, a senior commissioned officer rank, just below a colonel and above a major.
After the war, professionally, Charles had an extensive and distinguished career as a civil engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he was involved in major infrastructure and flood-control projects across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. He received his B.C.E. from the University of Akron, Ohio. His work required moving to Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1940 and Texarkana, Texas, in 1950 and finally to Oklahoma where the family resided in Altus, Prior, and Muskogee, Oklahoma. After retirement he move to Edmond, Oklahoma where he resided until his death. While in Texarkana he also served as a parttime and evening instructor at Texarkana College.
His work included large flood-control and levee projects on the Mississippi River in Louisiana while working out of Shreveport, extensive improvements at Altus Air Force Base, and various major highway projects that supported regional growth and connectivity in Oklahoma. In the late-1960s he was the Resident Engineer for the construction of the Webbers Falls Lock and Dam, Muskogee County, one of a series of massive water controls along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. His resume also included being the Assistant Resident Engineer for the Eufaula Dam and Lake, Oklahoma's largest lake, in 1961-1965. These roles reflected both his technical expertise and his ability to lead large, complex teams. After retiring from the Corps, Charles obtained his Professional Engineering (P.E.) license and continued his vocation as an independent consulting engineer.
After Eleanor's passing in 1982, Charles eventually found companionship again and married Alice E. Lundquist, who lovingly shared his later years and survived him. Together they sold the family home and moved to Epworth Villa in Edmond, Oklahoma, where they spent their final years in a caring retirement community, surrounded by friends and continued involvement in church and fellowship.
Those who knew Charles remember a man whose quiet strength and enduring love shaped the lives of those around him. He was more than a husband and father—he was a steady presence, a source of wisdom, and a man who believed in the power of hard work, humility, and faith. His legacy lives on through his children and grandchildren, each of whom carries a piece of his spirit in their hearts, as well as in the many students, colleagues, and church members who benefited from his example and leadership.
Though the years may pass, the memory of Charles Wade Surbey remains vivid in the stories told around dinner tables; the lessons passed down through generations, and the love that continues to ripple outward from the family and communities he helped build. We honor his life not only in words, but in the way we live ours—with compassion, courage, service, and a deep appreciation for the bonds that hold us together.
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