Charles Coffman Wooster

When you have your ticket, leaving is no problem, and it was time to leave on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2011. The appointment was to meet his Lord and Edith (Gran) Wooster in heaven for their 74th Thanksgiving together. He always made arrangements to have Gran’s famous buttermilk pie on this day, and this time he didn’t have to share it with the boys. We picture him joining Edith, his parents, his sisters Jean Harlow and Lorraine Rubottom Eck and brother Jim Wooster for the great reunion. Charles (Grandpa) Wooster was 96 years young. He entered this life born to David Daniel and Clara Belle (Bidleman) Wooster in Ft. Cobb, Oklahoma on June 13, 1915. Charles grew up on the family farm near the Washita River between Verden and Chickasha. As a young boy, ages 12 to 16, he farmed with the mules and horse teams. He was responsible for choosing what crops to plant, and sowing and harvesting the fields while his dad was away from home during the week working as a butcher. He also rode his bicycle from the farm into Chickasha, a three mile ride, to deliver newspapers as a way to earn extra money. This work ethic and independence led to his entrepreneurial spirit. As a matter of fact, at one point that independent spirit lead him to make the executive decision to trade his father’s best two working mules for a vehicle. Charles began his love of the great outdoors at an early age, swimming his horses across the Washita River with his friends when the river was out of its banks. Charles attended Chickasha Schools until his senior year when his Aunt Julia Dykes and his mother, Clara B. decided it was time Charles experienced a dose of discipline at Oklahoma Military Academy in Claremore, Oklahoma. While at OMA he participated in boxing, fencing, and was a member of the polo team. In 1934 Will Rogers took that polo team to southern California where they went on to win the tournament. Charles graduated from OMA in 1936 where he excelled in mathematics of every form. On January 6, 1937 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma Charles made the best decision of his life when he married Edith Estalene King who remained his devoted wife, honoring the covenant relationship with his chosen one until she departed this life in March of 2011. Edith’s sister Elva and her husband served as witnesses for Charles and Edith and helped keep the marriage a secret from Edith’s parents. Charles and Edith moved to the family farm, and he began working at the Chickasha Flour Mill where he sewed flour sacks. Their first son, Charles Gary was born during this time. Charles then attended welding school in Oklahoma City and later went to work for Halliburton Company in Duncan, Oklahoma.Darrell their second son was born here. It was in Duncan that Charles began his own business as a welder in a shop on the east side of town. As the oilfield boomed, he moved his family to Temple, Oklahoma for a year. They then moved to Lindsay, Oklahoma in 1946 and this is where their third son Danny was born. Charles and Finley Diggs were partners in Red Ball Welding Company in the 1950’s. After Finley’s death, Wooster Welding and Trucking company was begun. The business was involved with moving and tear down of drilling rigs. Interestingly, the atomic number of 74 whose symbol is “W” belongs to tungsten, the heavy gray steel element with which he worked. Tungsten has a melting point of 3400 degrees centigrade. Charles possessed a strength, toughness and durabality much like the metals with which he worked. Charles resurfaced bits and downhole tools with tungsten carbide which set him apart from other welders and gained him a much respected reputation. He was called all over the United States to perform this resurfacing process. Charles designed and built some of the first mobile frac tanks that were sent to Saudi Arabia. Charles worked long and hard, often working seven days a week. Sometimes he was called out in the night and continued to work the next day without sleep. His family never heard him complain about his work. Charles’s philosophy was that he didn’t have to go to work, he got to go work. Work was a privilege, and he was thankful for his job. In 1957 and ’58 Charles suffered with meningitis and was not expected to live. He lost his welding and trucking business in a flood that destroyed his property and equipment. He recuperated slowly and after about a year, he returned to work. Charles retired when he was 79 years old. Throughout every move Charles and his family made, he always kept his horses. He loved his horses. During his days at Duncan, he raised and raced greyhounds. Noodling in Cash Creek with his friend Bud Reese became one of his favorite pasttimes when he lived in Temple. He was the first guy in Oklahoma to get caught shocking fish with telephones. It was really before the law was officially passed. The Fish and Game Department used his case to build the law against it in Oklahoma. Surprisingly Gran did not fire him when bird dogs became his obsession, but she had already survived coon hounds and staying out all night coon hunting. In his later years, Gran had almost had enough when he started racing Thoroughbreds; however, she always accompanied him to all the races and helped feed the horses. A person watching from the outside might have assumed that Gran loved horses too----wrong, she just loved Charles Charles was a “get her done” kind of guy and could build anything he set his mind to build. Charles will be remembered smiling and laughing with his “ I gotcha” gleam in his eye. Socially he was definitely a good time Charlie, never meeting anyone as a stranger, he acknowledged everyone. No one was beneath him or above him. He treated everyone with respect irregardless of their station in life. His example for others was to do your best at whatever you do and like whatever you do. Charles is survived by: Sons – Charles and wife Brenda; Darrell and wife Judy; Danny and wife Janene 8 Grandchildren – Kent, Gary Wayne, Tyler, Carson, Shannon, Madison, Brandon and Cameron 5 Great-Grandchildren – Kyle, Lacey, McKayla, Quin and Sydney Funeral services for Charles Coffman Wooster are scheduled for Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. in the 1st Baptist Church in Lindsay, Oklahoma with Rev. Randy Allen officiating. Interment will be in the Greenhill Cemetery in Lindsay. Services are under the direction of Wooster Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to First Baptst Church of Lindsay Building Fund, 401 SW 3rd, Lindsay, OK 73052. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.woosterfuneralhomes.com

Charles Coffman Wooster

June 13, 1915 - November 24, 2011