Charles Perryman

Charles Leonard Perryman, 84, passed away January 1, 2017, at the Las Colinas Medical Center of natural causes. Graveside services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, January 7, 2017, at Ridge Park Cemetery in Hillsboro, where Charles will be buried next to his loving wife Betty. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. - Noon prior to the graveside at Marshall and Marshall Funeral Directors in Hillsboro.

Charles was born May 11, 1932 in Muskogee, Oklahoma to Charley and Myrtle Perryman. At a young age, Charles and his family moved to Texas where his family found work, ultimately settling in Monahans. Charles was a starting member of the 1948 Texas State Champion football team, an honor that he was always fond of reminiscing. He graduated from high school there in 1951. While attending Monahans High, Charles met the love of his life and married Betty Carl Shumate in 1952. They were married for 61 years before Betty passed away in January of 2013. Shortly after their marriage Charles joined the Air Force in 1952. His career included being stationed at Laughlin AFB in Texas, Walker AFB in New Mexico and Pease AFB in New Hampshire as well as a TDY to Naha AFB in Okinawa, Japan. In 1962 Charles was sent to Travis AFB California where, after training at Altus AFB in Oklahoma, he became a flight engineer which ultimately prepared him for a variety of military cargo planes (C-135, C-141, C- 5). During this phase of his service, Charles flew as a crewmember into and out of Vietnam during that protracted conflict. He was also a part of the different crews that serviced American Embassies world-wide during the 1960’s. One highlight that Charles was always proud to recount was stories from was his participation on the Bob Hope Christmas Tour of 1965.

Upon his retirement from the USAF in 1972, Charles and Betty moved back to Texas, settling in Grand Prairie. Charles soon went to work for the City of Dallas Aviation Department. He quickly rose to the position of Airport Operations Officer, and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1995. After the death of his beloved Betty, Charles moved to Arlington in the summer of 2013 to be closer to family. Charles was an avid reader of various topics which ranged from military histories to biographies of sport icons. Of particular interest to him was T.E. Lawrence, a subject that Charles had collected through the years 40+ separate histories that gave him an extensive knowledge of the subject of Lawrence and the era. Charles also enjoyed watching professional sports, and was known to watch any Texas Ranger game regardless of the score.

Immediate survivors include his children, David Perryman and his wife, Janet, of Arlington, Steve Perryman of Fort Worth and Kittie Perryman of Lewisville; granddaughter, Caitlen and her husband, Shane Politz, and great-grandson, Landon, of Princeton; sisters, Delight Farmer of Wofford and Teena Simmons of Houston; and brother, Terry Strong of Gilbert, AZ.

Visitation

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ,Saturday, January 7, 2017
Marshall & Marshall Funeral Directors in Hillsboro
2495 Corsicana Highway Hillsboro, TX 76645

Graveside Service

1:00 PM ,Saturday, January 7, 2017
Ridge Park Cemetery
Julatka Street Hillsboro, TX 76645