CHARLES LAWRENCE
Charlie Lawrence has been called home to his heavenly father. He was beloved by Julie, his wife, and children.
Born in Breckenridge, Texas on May 19, 1941, he was the youngest of nine children. He grew up on a ranch, riding horses, herding cattle, roping calves, cheekily driving at age six to get this and that, a childhood remembered equally for its hard work and responsibilities, as well as its unparalleled freedom.
He attended school in Albany, Texas, and graduated from Albany High School in 1959 (in a class of 41) – a proud Lion to the end of his days. During his time at Albany, he competed in various different sports including basketball, rodeo, and football where he was quite the calf roper, and football athlete.
He made lifelong friends while at Albany, primarily among them Jackie Eubanks, Pete Jones, and Buddy Webb. After graduation he went on to play football at Cisco Junior College, later transferring to and graduating from North Texas State University. During summers in high school and college he worked in the oil field for his brother-in-law Wilburn Riley.
This experience left a lasting impression on him and would factor into later life decisions to inpire great success in others. After graduating from North Texas, he began a career as an educator and coach. He initially coached in Weatherford for the mighty Kangaroos, later for the Aledo Bearcats, where he took them to their first state championship game, losing 19-18 after going for two and the win late in the game. He could have been co-champions but knew his team would have nothing to do with being co-champions. They wanted to win. Charlie left Aledo with a 43-3 record.
After leaving coaching he returned to the oil field. He led or started various drilling companies including Riley Drilling, Inc., Lawrence-Cannon Drilling, Inc. and Texas-Wyoming Drilling, Inc.
Beyond his work life, he loved sports, loved to compete, and to watch his children compete. In his spare time, he did find the time for an occasional round of golf here and there. For those that knew him, you’ll know this is a tremendous understatement. He loved the game. He loved watching the game. In fact, he loved games practically of any sort, especially the domino game “42,” which was a family favorite.
Later in life his de facto home teams were the Brock Eagles and the Aledo Bearcats. If they were your team, too, then you probably saw him at Brock and or Aledo football, basketball, and softball games. Charlie was that kind of person that saw a friend and the good in everyone he met, was trustworthy to a fault, and genuinely did his level best to have a purposeful and positive impact on those that he met and came to know.
He was extremely proud of his time as a coach where he got to know many young men and was always hopeful that, in some way, he was able to make some difference in their lives. He was able to see things in them they couldn’t see in themselves and worked hard to bring the best out of someone. The same can be said of his time in the oil field for those that worked with and for him. They worked hard together, and he looked after them.
Charlie was preceded in death by his parents, Pearl and Albert Lawrence, sisters, Betty, Florence, and Lucille, and his brothers Gray, John T., and Monroe.
Survivors include his wife, Julie of Weatherford, sons, Stacy (Melinda) of Richardson, Ryan (Leslie) of Houston, daughter Amanda (Danny) of Mineral Wells; grandchildren Sophie, Margaux and Ian of Richardson, Jonah and Ellis of Houston, and Lucy and Olivia of Mineral Wells; brother, Rayford (Margaret) Lawrence of Abilene, sister Geraldine Lewis of Midland, sister-in-law Janice Philan of Austin; numerous nieces and nephews, including Candy Riley, Janice Riley, Ginger Bartee, and Ken Lawrence, all of Albany.
Service: Thursday, July 21, 2022, 2:00 pm. at First Baptist Church of Dennis
Graveside: Friday, July 22, 2022, 10:00 am. at Greenwood Cemetery. PD
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