Retired teacher, school administrator and community stalwart Charles Wayne Brown passed away Friday, Jan. 31 at his home in Whitesboro after a battle with liver cancer. 

He was 82. 

Charles was born in Dallas, Texas, on June 10, 1942, to Julius Troy Brown and Maude Inez Hill Brown.  

Early in his childhood, Charles learned to work.  While in elementary school in Fort Worth, Charles bought donuts at a donut shop and sold them door to door.  

In East Texas, while in junior high, Charles mowed fields, fed sheep, milked cows, and fed and watered multiple houses of chickens.  

The summer after eighth grade, Charles unloaded feed from railroad box cars.  Another summer, Charles drove trucks delivering chicken feed to the area chicken farms. 

In high school, in addition to attending classes, Charles delivered broilers to processing plants in Louisiana and South Texas.  Later, he drove trucks containing fertilized eggs to Love Field Airport, where they were flown to California or Italy to hatch.  

Sometimes, he picked up eggs from the airport to transport them to East Texas to hatch. His final working experience with chickens in East Texas was in a processing plant.  

Charles was a voracious reader all of his life. His love of reading began while attending a high school class that was held in the library.  

During that semester, he read the entire set of encyclopedias that were next to him on the shelf. In addition to working and reading, Charles excelled in the high school band and won many awards.  

Even though he didn’t yet know what career path he would take, Charles promised himself that he would get a college education.

To achieve this goal, Charles worked a variety of jobs and put himself through college: driving trucks, selling popcorn, working as a security guard, and playing trombone at Six Flags. 

He eventually took a teaching job in Gorman, Texas, where he met Carol, the love of his life. 

Carol had just graduated high school in Gorman when Charles was hired to direct their band. A school board member told Carol that she should “go meet” the new band director.  

On their first real date, Charles told Carol that he was going to marry her. She laughed out loud.  

The next summer, in 1963, Charles married Carol. The newlywed couple moved to Abilene so both of them could finish their degrees.  

Charles taught in Trent, audited books, managed a motel, and taught in Sonora.  

Then, in August of 1967, Charles completed his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Abilene Christian University. After three years of teaching in Tulia, Charles and Carol moved to Denton to continue their education.  While pursuing his Masters in Counseling and Guidance from the University of North Texas, Charles was hired by Superintendent Wayman Chilcutt to be the Director of Bands in Whitesboro.  

The Browns quickly fell in love with Whitesboro and soon adopted it as their unofficial “hometown.”  

In 1978, Charles’s dedication to the community earned him the Whitesboro Rotary Club Outstanding Citizen Award.  

Charles continued to further his education, and in 1986, when he received his Mid-Management Administration Certification from the University of North Texas, Charles was only a few hours away from a doctorate.

During his career, Charles worked for the Gorman, Trent, Sonora, Tulia, Whitesboro, and Howe Independent School Districts.  

He taught social studies, choir, and band, and he served as a high school principal and an elementary principal.  

For Charles, working with children was the ultimate challenge, adventure, and reward. Charles’ numerous early work experiences helped him come to the conclusion that “teaching sure beats working for a living!” 

And although Charles knew for a fact that teaching was really hard work, for him, the fulfillment he received from teaching was unparalleled.  

He tried to “make a difference,” and he had fun doing it!  That was his payoff. 

Given the opportunity, Charles vowed that he would do it all over again in a heartbeat. 

No matter what job he held in schools, Charles was committed to supporting his students. He expected his students to likewise support each other, and work together, and devote themselves to having the best school or band possible.  

He worked tirelessly in their best interests throughout his career. Charles’s love of music, emphasis on tone quality, and belief that any music he heard could be improved, resulted in first division ratings and sweepstakes awards. 

In 2015, Charles received the Whitesboro I.S.D. Leadership Award.

In retirement, Charles continued to teach instrumental private lessons, to instruct small groups, and to occasionally substitute.  

Charles was a proud supporter of the Whitesboro Public Schools, and he was extremely pleased with the district’s many academic and extracurricular achievements.  

Charles was the Whitesboro Band’s biggest cheerleader, and he was thrilled with their ongoing successes. GO BEARCATS!

Charles is survived by his wife, Carol; their son, Brandon and his husband, Nate; their daughter, Lacy and her boyfriend, Paul, and dogs, Jesse and Griff.  

A Celebration of Life memorial service will be held at the Whitesboro First United Methodist Church, Saturday, Feb. 8 at 11am. 

Burial will be held at the Gorman Cemetery in Gorman, Texas, at a later date.  

Memorial donations may be made in Charles’s name to Methodist  Children’s Home, 1111 Herring Avenue, Waco, Texas 76708-9903.