Name: Visitation for Charles Pate
Start: 2018-09-07T22:00:00.000Z
End: 2018-09-08T01:00:00.000Z
Location: Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home & Forest Park Lawndale

Charles C. Pate
1929-2018
Charles Creighton Pate, age 88, died on September 2, 2018 in Houston, Texas. He was born in Elkhart, Texas on October 21, 1929 to parents Rev. Harlen J. and Nannie Faye (Hamilton) Pate. He is survived by his only sibling, A. J. Pate of Houston, nephew John H. Pate of Houston, and niece Debi D. Russo of Kyle, Texas. He is also survived by two children, Charles Dee Pate and Gina Jo Pate, both of Houston. In 1950, he received a Bachelor of Science from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. In 1952, he received a Master of Education from the University of Houston. He was employed by Houston Independent School District for 38 years, including principal of Edison Junior High School, 1965-1979, and Lantrip Elementary School, 1983-1988. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954-1956, primarily based in Germany. He and his bother A.J. were always close friends. They had the unique experience of watching together all fifty-two Super Bowl games. Also, during the first five years of the Houston Oilers in the American Football League, they attended all home games in Jeppensen Stadium. Visitation will begin at 5pm to 8pm, on Friday, September 7th, at Forest Park Lawndale. Funeral services will begin at 1pm, on Saturday, September 8th, at Forest Park Lawndale. Charles attended chapel services at The Conservatory with A.J. and his wife Martha, for as long as physically possible. Rev. Bart Dye, pastor of the chapel, will be officiating. Interment will follow at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery.

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Published by Houston Chronicle on Sep. 6, 2018.

Memories and Condolences
for Charles Pate

Sponsored by Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home & Forest Park Lawndale.

4 Entries

A. J. Pate

September 15, 2018

Memories of My Brother

Charles and I were very fortunate to have been raised by loving parents in a home where we were taught Christian values.

Charles was born in 1929, and I was born in 1937, eight years later.

Charles told me of the day I was born. It was a snowy day in December. He had been sent to spend the day with his Uncle Carl and Aunt Agnes. He recalled the wonder of returning home to find he had a new baby brother.

Our age difference obviously impacted our common interests in my early years. When I was first starting to school, Charles was already entering high school. And he had earned a college degree before I had even started high school.

But as the years rolled by, the age difference seemed to shrink and mattered less as our interests began to merge.

In our lives, there were some interesting parallels. We both ran track in high school, but never saw each other compete. I played baseball in high school, and Charles got to watch me play one game. Despite our age difference, we were both in the U.S. Army at the same time for about six months in 1956. We both did our basic training at Fort Bliss near El Paso.

After I graduated from college and had begun working in Houston, we had some great times together. We enjoyed going to the stock car races at the Parkland Speedway on South Main before it closed in the early 1960s. We would get together every Super Bowl Sunday, having the unique record of having watched all 52 Super Bowl games together. When the American Football League was formed, we attended every homegame of the Houston Oilers for the five years they played in Jeppensen Stadium. The end zone tickets cost us $2 each.

Charles was a great son and support for our mother in her last years. They lived near each other, and he would take her grocery shopping every week.

For the last few years of her life, we attended Sunday services with her at Evangelistic Temple until she was physically unable to attend.

We had close bonds as brothers and best friends, and those bonds were never broken.

I was always very proud of him and his professional accomplishments. As my big brother, he was always there to support me whenever I needed him. This feeling was mutual, and as he grew older, I did my best to assure that he received the best care I could provide.

During the last seven years, my wife Martha was his barber and manicurist. We took him to chapel services every Sunday we were in town. Then we would bring him home with us, Martha would prepare a nice lunch for us, and then Charles and i would watch a football garme or a movie. He always looked forward to us being together on Sundays.

Just last Sunday afternoon, Martha and I went to visit Charles in the residential facility where he was under hospice care. He knew we were there, but was not very responsive. Before we left, we talked to him and sang two songs, Jesus Loves Me and How Great Thou Art. We prayed with him and told him that we loved him. As he dropped off to sleep, we did not know that would be the last time to see him alive. We are very grateful for the precious memories of those final moments. Just a few hours later, we received a phone call that he had passed away.

I miss him very much and always will. He was a big part of my life for 80 years. But I know that he is now in a much happier place where there is no more pain or sorrow or death. The remainder of my life I will be looking forward to the day when we will have a joyous reunion with all our loved ones.
______

We will meet again some day. Till then, farewell, my dear beloved brother.

Your little brother,

A. J.

Charles Pate

September 7, 2018

Charles shall be missed, but our loss is not heaven's gain. He was faithful to our ministry at The Conservatory and always an encourager for me personally.

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