Roll Call Tribute

Charles Robert Canterbury 

February 5, 1939 - April 2, 2024 

Charles Robert Canterbury, age 85, of Tyler, Texas passed away on April 2, 2024. He was born on February 5, 1939 in Kilgore, Texas to the late Elsie Pudwell Canterbury and Dr. Samuel Luther Canterbury, Jr.

Charles is survived by his wife of 52 years, Elizabeth T. Canterbury; his daughter Christy Canterbury, along with her husband Kirk Tashjian and newborn grandson, Francis Foster Tashjian; and his sister, Diane Miller. He is preceded in passing by his infant son, Charles Patrick Canterbury, and his beloved brother, Samuel Luther Canterbury, III.

Father, engineer, outdoor enthusiast, hunter, fisher and lifelong admirer of Texas—especially East Texas, Charles graduated from Kilgore College then Texas A&M University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. During his school years, he worked in the oil fields of East Texas, moving rigs then roughnecking on new oil wells—highly appropriate for a child of Kilgore. His high school class of 1957 will lay a brick in his name in the World's Richest Acre Park in Kilgore.

After college, Charles' first job was with General Dynamics, working at a Navy facility developing and testing rockets, ground-to-air missiles, heat shields and nose cones. He worked on the rockets that lifted Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 off the moon.

He then worked for Lone Star Steel developing oil field equipment before forming his own company, consulting in a variety of capacities: developing everything from cement finishing plants in San Antonio, Texas and Palmetto, Florida to designing and installing drinking water and sewer systems on the Toledo Bend Reservoir and for various cities and school systems. Charles returned to Mount Pleasant in East Texas to work for Texas Utilities Generating Company, where he worked for 18 years and amassed record-breaking, millions of Safe-Man Working Hours. He was the head of the Technical Service Group then the Pulverization Maintenance Program. He then took an early retirement package with no intention of slowing down.

Always curious and never afraid of a challenge, Charles took his Series 7 and 63 exams and passed with flying colors. He enjoyed a second career as a stock broker with Edward D. Jones then Brokers Transaction Services.

Kind, thoughtful and resolutely positive, Charles had a knack for story-telling, original sayings, making people laugh and lending a helping hand. Family and friends were always at the forefront of his mind, as was his devotion to the Catholic Church. Master teacher to Christy of Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus and Physics, he was also a softball coach, volleyball videographer and key supporter of her ballet, gymnastics and so much more. Charles loved driving his family all across the USA for summer vacation, and he frequently recruited extended family members to join—the more the merrier.

A rosary and visitation will be held at Rader Funeral Home in Kilgore, Texas on Thursday, April 4, 2024, beginning at 6.00 pm. A funeral mass will be held on Friday, April 5, 2024 at 10 am at Christ the King Catholic Church in Kilgore, Texas. Charles' burial will be at Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler at 2 pm on the same day.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Charles' name to his father's scholarship—for whom the Science and Engineering Building at Kilgore College is named: the Dr. S. L. Canterbury, Jr. Memorial Scholarship. Checks may be made payable in the name of the scholarship to the Kilgore College Foundation at 1100 Broadway, Kilgore, Texas 75662 or by selecting the scholarship at giving.kilgore.edu.