Charles will be missed.  Although I am his sister, I was 12 years younger than he was.  He was very close to our father and they were on the same wave length.  

I was told by our mother that when Charles was about nine years old, he got hit by a car in Oak Park, Illinois, where we lived.  One of his legs was badly hurt, but because he was so young and our dad was a doctor, he got back on his feet quickly.  He then started skating at a pond near our house, and became a champion speed skater.  He was always steady on his feet and he reminded me of Fred Astaire in the way he moved and his physique.

I always admired him for his accomplishments.  As many of you know, his was the first successful home improvement company in Orlando, even before Disneyworld appeared.  He was a natural born salesman, but he could have been anything he wanted.  Because of his personality, if you were in a room with him, he always shined and it felt like you were in a room with a star. 

About two years ago, one of the comedy clubs in Orlando asked him to come on stage and tell jokes, and he would have been the best, I know, but he just never did it.  I did hear him on the radio when his business was a lot younger, and he was terrific  As I said, he just had that star quality.  In fact, when he was about seven years old, our father tried to put him into the movies, particularly the "Our Gang" comedies.  But he was a star in his own right, as everyone who knew him, could sense just by being with him. 

I'll never forget Mary and Charles, they were a great couple and I admired both of them. 

One of the things I remember about him most was this:  I was renting a house with a girlfriend in the late 70's and he was visiting in Miami, and he came to see me,   I was having a garage sale at the time and I wanted to sell some jewelry that wasn't real.  He said, "Instead of selling it piece by piece, just do this."  With that he took the whole jewelry box and put it outside for the customers at the garage sale, and sure enough, I sold every piece of jewelry and even the jewelry box. 

God blessed me with a special brother and I will sorely miss him and Mary.  I know that they are together in heaven looking down at the wonderful family they have, who will dearly miss them.  They are both in my prayers forever.

                                                                                                             Toby Houston, sister

My father-in-law, Charles was like a father to me, he was a part of my life for over 25 years.  I'll always remember his smile and the way he loved to make people laugh.  How he could remember all those jokes, and deliver the punch lines with such finesse always amazed me!  He loved life and he loved his family more than anything.  I have so many wonderful memories of he and Mary together. 

The past year and a half he lived with us, we spent a lot of time talking.  We could argue one minute and be laughing the next.  Especially when he was trying to tell me how to drive, where to park, or that we were going to be late!  We had a lot of fun & a lot of laughs.  He was was always concerned about other people and their happiness and no matter how I tried to hide it, he could always tell when something was bothering me.  He was a wonderful person, father, & grandfather and I"ll always treasure the memories I have of him.  I miss him so much, but I know he's in a better place.  He's in God's arms now with Mary by his side, watching over us.