Charles Bryant Harris
Harris, 94
Charles Bryant Harris, 94, of Pearsall, died on August 11, 2023. He was born on August 23, 1928 on the family farm in Waelder, Texas to Carl and Myrtle Harris.
He is preceded in death by his parents, sisters Sybil Teague and Lee Akers and brother Carl Harris.
Charlie is survived by wife Martha Vaughan Harris, sons Bill Harris, Ricky Harris (Mary) and daughter Julie Harris Crowsey (Chuck), grandchildren Chris Harris (Christie), Jason Harris, Matt Harris (Melanie), Jennifer Harris, Jaclyn Crowsey Lozano (David), Kelly Crowsey Vanderlaan (Nick), eight great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, sisters Joann Barnhart and Juanita Blundell, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Charlie, as he was known to his friends and family, resided on his ranch near Moore and grew up on the family farm and freely shared stories of planting and harvesting crops, feeding cattle, hogs and chicken, trading and training horses, hunting, fishing and trapping all kinds of wildlife.
He graduated from Gonzales High School in 1946. Charlie was hired by Petty Geology in 1947, operating a drilling rig for seismic exploration. This job brought Charlie to Pearsall in 1948 where he would meet his soon to be wife, Martha, who worked part time at the local bakery. They started dating in 1949 and were married that Christmas Eve. Charlie and Martha traveled across the south as part of the seismic crew.
Charlie then went to work for the Texas Department of Transportation in 1954 and worked on the design, construction and maintenance of IH-35 from San Antonio to Laredo. While raising his family in Pearsall, Charlie served his community as a volunteer firefighter, Boy Scout troupe leader and was a member of the First Methodist Church of Pearsall.
Charlie retired from TXDOT in 1984 and immediately went to work as an estimator for different highway contractors working in South Texas. In retirement Charlie was able to focus his attention on his two favorite past times, ranching and raising whitetail deer. Charlie was a gifted trainer of cattle dogs and deer tracking dogs.
Charlie was also a gifted carpenter, building homes, furniture, cabinets, rustic picture frames and custom rifle stocks. He was also able to handle most electrical issues, was a licensed gunsmith, an avid reloader of ammunition for shotguns, rifles and pistols, a fixer of automobiles and collector of arrowheads.
A celebration of Charlie’s life will be held on Saturday, August 19 at 10 a.m. at the First Methodist Church in Pearsall with a reception to follow in the Fellowship Hall. Memorial contributions may be made payable to First Methodist Church, Pearsall.
Anyone wishing to share a memory or express their condolences to the family can do so by visiting www.primrosefuneralservices.com.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Primrose Funeral Services, Pearsall.
