Charles Edwin Isdale Sr.

1942 - 2025

Charles Edwin Isdale, Sr.

Mar 10, 1942 - Dec 4, 2025

Charles Edwin Isdale, Sr. passed from this life on Thursday, December 4, 2025, at the age of 83 years. He resided in College Station, TX with his wife, Maria de los Angeles Isdale and son, Charles Isdale Jr., who had moved there from Tampa, FL, only two weeks ago.

Charles was born in DeQuincy, LA, on March 10, 1942.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Dr. Lucille Brown Isdale; his parents, Vester Edwin Isdale and Katherine Wincey Isdale; and brothers, Carroll Glynn Isdale and William Paul Isdale.

Mr. Isdale is survived by his wife, Maria de los Angeles Isdale; his son, Charles Isdale, Jr.; his daughter, Jennifer Denise Hunt (Kyle) of Sugar Land, TX; two granddaughters, Amberly Lauren Savage (Scott) of Bay City, TX, and Rachel Katherine Isdale of Fort Collins, CO; three great-granddaughters, Leighton Jane Savage, Landyn Kirby Savage and Locklyn Fay Savage of Bay City; and his wonderful sister, Barbara Bankens of Lake Charles, LA.

Charles grew up attending church at the Pentecostal Church of DeQuincy every time the doors opened from the time he was born until he went to LSU. He was so proud that when he was six years old, he was given the privilege of laying the first brick on the red-brick church, which was demolished in 2021. He played trombone in the church orchestra. As a teenager, he sang in the Pentecostal Camp Meeting Choir directed by Rev. Roland Gardner.

Charles Edwin graduated from DeQuincy High School in 1960. He earned a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from LSU, Baton Rouge, LA in 1965 and an M.B.A. from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL in 1977.

His academic experience was at Texas A&M University, College Station, Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemical Engineering 1998-2005 and 2012-2023. Courses taught were Unit Operations Labs I & II, Process Control Lecturer and Lab, Plant Economics, Safety Engineering, and Seminar. While at Texas A&M he was the UPCI-appointed sponsor of the Pentecostal Student Organization on campus.

Earlier positions were Chemical Process Engineer at Firestone Synthetic Rubber and Latex Company, Lake Charles LA June 1965-August 1969; A.E. Staley Manufacturing Co., a corn wet milling and soybean processing company, Decatur, Illinois, Chemical Process Engineer, August 1969-October 1972; VIOBIN Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of A.H. Robins Pharmaceutical Company, Monticello, IL, Director of Engineering and Maintenance October 1972-January 1980.

Honors and Awards included listings in multiple issues of Who's Who In The World, Who's Who In America, Who's Who In The Southwest, and Who's Who In Science and Industry; "Man of the Year" for 1986, Food & Pharmaceutical Industries Division of ISA; Chairman, Central Illinois Section, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1972 and 1973.

Principal publications of previous papers presented were "Advanced Process Control Utilizing Simple Modular Tools"; Use of Arrhenius Equation in Control of Reactions"; "Control of Mechanical Recompression Evaporators"; "A Simple Visualization of Model Predictive Control (MPC) Utilizing Standard Modules"; Opportunities for Process Control in the Cereal Industries".

Prior to his work at Texas A&M, Charles had his own process control consulting firm "Control Enterprise, Inc.", Savoy, Illinois, where he served as President February 1980- April 1998. Mr. Isdale held certification and professional registrations in Louisiana, Illinois, and New Jersey.

His professional memberships were American Cereal Chemists Association; American Institute of Chemical Engineers; American Oil Chemists Association; ISA (The International Society Automation); Professional Engineers Association.

Significant projects included multivariate control systems for baking Premium Saltine Crackers, controlling Top Color, controlling Bottom Color, and Moisture by modulating 18 gas flows simultaneously; and Cooker control for Butterfinger Candy, etc.

Personal illness forced Mr. Isdale to take absence, for one year, from Texas A&M in the fall 2022. He was diagnosed with hydrocephalus causing loss of the balance and walking difficulties. Treatment of hydrocephalus typically involves surgery to implant a shunt to drain the excesses fluid. In December 2023 Charles had this surgery but he didn't recover total mobility. To make matters worse, in March 2024 he had an aneurysm which affected his speech and the mobility of his right hand, his condition improved with physical, speech and occupational therapy. In fall 2023, he had to resign from Texas A&M.

Just recently Mr. Isdale had a new physical therapist, Elizabeth Meline who helped him gain limited mobility. She prescribes a power chair and got him out into his neighborhood in the power chair which was controlled by a joystick. Charles told everyone what a wonderful therapist he had. Maria was able to take her husband out into the neighborhood on days the therapist was not there.

Family will receive friends from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral service at 11:00 a.m., Friday, December 12, 2025, at The Pentecostal Church, 301 W. 4th Street, DeQuincy. Interment to follow at Perkins Cemetery, DeQuincy.

Arrangements were handled by Riley Smith & Sons Funeral Home, 1810 W. 4th Street, DeQuincy.