Charles M. Raper

CHARLES MASSEY RAPER WAS AN UNFORGETTABLE MAN WHO LOVED & WAS LOVED BY MULTITUDES OF PEOPLE. TRULY AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE ARE ALL TAUGHT: LOVE OF GOD, FAMILY AND COUNTRY … AND IN THAT ORDER. LIVING A LIFE BY EXAMPLE HE WAS A STRONG CHRISTIAN AND PROVED TO OTHERS THAT COMPASSION, FORGIVENESS, UNDERSTANDING WERE THE BASIS OF LIFE. CHARLES LOVED AT A DEPTH THAT SOME NEVER KNOW OR HAVE EVER SEEN. A HUMBLE MAN OF HUMBLE BEGINNINGS WHO WITHOUT LIMITS SHARED ALL HE HAD. HE WAS ONE OF 4 CHILDREN: J.T. RAPER, RALPH RAPER, THEN CHARLES FOLLOWED BY SISTER MARY (BELL)

BORN IN 1927 DURING THE DEPRESSION, HE WAS PREMATURE AT BIRTH WEIGHING ONLY 5 POUNDS. BECAUSE OF THIS HE HAD TO REMAIN IN THE HOSPITAL FOR A WHILE BEFORE COMING HOME. IT MUST HAVE BEEN THEN THAT HE LEARNED TO STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE AND TO APPRECIATE ALL YOU HAVE. HIS WORK ETHICS FROM CHILDHOOD CARRIED ON UNTIL HIS LAST DAYS. AT THE YOUNG AGE OF 18 HE JOINED THE ARMY TO HAVE AN ADVENTURE & TO SERVE HIS COUNTRY. WITHOUT TELLING HIS MOTHER, HE ENLISTED 1 WEEK AFTER THE UNEXPECTED DEATH OF HIS FATHER AT AGE 45. LITTLE DID HE REALIZE THAT HE WOULD BE LEAVING THE MOMENT AFTER HE SIGNED PAPERS WITH NO OPPORTUNITY TO LET HIS MOTHER KNOW HE WAS LEAVING. SEEING THIS AS HIS WAY OF HELPING RELIEVE SOME OF THE BURDEN ON HIS MOTHER NADINE, CHARLES SENT HIS PAYCHECKS HOME TO HIS WIDOWED YOUNG MOTHER. HE TOLD MANY GREAT STORIES OF HIS YOUTH.

ON LEAVE FROM THE ARMY HE MET & FELL IN LOVE WITH RITA HOLT WHILE AT A SKATING RINK PARTY. HE SAID HE KNEW THE MINUTE HE SAW HER THAT HE WAS GOING TO MARRY HER. THEN AFTER DISCHARGE FROM THE ARMY THEY MARRIED IN 1947. THEIRS WAS AN INCREDIBLE MARRIAGE OF 65+ YEARS. THEY WERE BLESSED WITH A DAUGHTER CARLA JEANNE (SPRINGER) BORN IN 1948. CARLA LATER BLESSED THEM WITH A GRANDDAUGHTER TRACYE JEANNE SPRINGER. THIS FAMILY WAS EXTREMELY CLOSE & ALWAYS TOOK CARE OF EACH OTHER.

UNCLE CHARLEY, AFTER MANY YEARS OF SPENDING SUMMERS WITH HIM, AUNT RITA & CARLA HIS SISTER’S DAUGHTERS PAT & CHERYL BLACKBURN. WELCOMED THEM INTO HIS HOME AS VERY YOUNG TEENS TO PROTECT, SHELTER & RAISE THEM. DUE TO CLOSE AGE DIFFERENCES HE HAD 3 TEENAGE GIRLS WHO WERE 13 & 14 YEARS OLD. CHARLES & RITA NEVER SWAYED FROM THIS NEW RESPONSIBILITY AND WERE ALWAYS FOUND THEMSELVES SURROUNDED BY TEENAGERS FROM CHURCH, SCHOOL & COMMUNITY NOT TO MENTION HIS NIECES & NEPHEWS. HE IS DEARLY LOVED & ADMIRED BY ALL OF THEM AND WILL BE GREATLY MISSED. AS ONE NIECE SAID “IF IT WEREN’T FOR HIM, WE’D ALL BE ORPHANS”. HE STEPPED UP & “FATHERED” MANY OF HIS FAMILY & OTHER KIDS.

WITH A SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS A MASTER PLUMBER OWNING HIS OWN COMPANY & BUILDING MANY HOMES & BUSINESSES, HE WAS PERSUADED BY WAYNE HENDRICKS (SUPERINTENDENT OF PLANO ISD) TO WORK FOR THE PISD. THERE CHARLES BUILT MANY LONG-LASTING FRIENDSHIPS THAT CONTINUED LONG AFTER HIS RETIREMENT. MANY TIMES HE DROVE SCHOOL BUSES WHEN SOMEONE WAS ILL BUT ESPECIALLY ENJOYED DRIVING THE FOOTBALL TEAM TO THEIR GAMES (PER THEIR REQUEST). BECAUSE OF HIS STRONG WORK ETHICS, HIS ATTITUDE OF DOING THE RIGHT THING EVERY TIME, MANY HAVE LEARNED BY HIS EXAMPLE OF COMMITMENT, TRUST & FAIRNESS.

CHARLES HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN HIS CHURCH - PLANO EAST CHURCH OF CHRIST - SERVING AS AN ELDER AND HELPING TO GUIDE THE CHURCH IN ITS GROWTH. BLESSED WITH A BEAUTIFUL VOICE, OVER THE YEARS HE TAUGHT & LED SINGING. HIS CHURCH HAS BLESSED HIM WITH TRULY GREAT FRIENDSHIP, LOVE & SUPPORT. HE WILL BE MISSED BY ALL.

IN 2011 CHARLES LOST THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE WITH RITA’S PASSING. HE SAID THAT HE LOST HIS SOULMATE. THEN IN 2014 THERE WAS A FIRE IN HIS HOME OF ALMOST 50 YEARS WHEN HE WAS INVITED TO LIVE WITH HIS NIECE PAT & HER HUSBAND RICK PEHRSON. SINCE THEN HE LOST HIS DAUGHTER CARLA IN 2017 WHICH DEALT ANOTHER BLOW. HIS GRANDDAUGHTER “TJ” LIVES IN MCKINNEY. CHARLES HAD SOME VERY SPECIAL TIMES WITH PAT & RICK AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WHO CONTINUED TO REMAIN CLOSE TO HIM. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HIS SISTER-IN-LAW MARGARET RAPER, CHARLES WAS THE LAST FAMILY MEMBER OF THEIR GENERATION.

UNCLE CHARLEY LIVED WITH PAT & RICK FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS OF HIS LIFE & TAUGHT THEM MANY VALUABLE LIFE LESSONS ESPECIALLY THAT WHILE LIFE MAY SEEM LONG, IN THE END IT IS VERY SHORT.

THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT LOVE IS PATIENT & LOVE IS KIND. UNCLE CHARLEY WAS A MAN WITH BOUNDLESS PATIENCE AND FOR WHOM KINDNESS WAS A WAY OF LIFE. HE SHOWED THAT EVERY STRANGER IS A POTENTIAL FRIEND. AND HE SHOWED US THAT EVERY FRIEND IS A POTENTIAL VERY GOOD FRIEND.

BUT THE BIG QUESTION IN LIFE AT THE END IS ARE WE BELIEVERS AND FRIENDS WITH GOD? AND UNCLE CHARLEY ANSWERED THAT QUESTION BY ALWAYS TRYING TO BE HIS BEST BECAUSE HE BELIEVED IN THE WORD OF GOD SO REVERENTLY & DEVOUTLY.

NOW, UNDERSTAND THAT UNCLE CHARLEY WAS NOT A PERFECT MAN, RATHER HE WAS A VERY, VERY, VERY GOOD MAN- BUT TO US, HIS FAMILY, HE WAS OUR PERFECT UNCLE CHARLEY.

ON JUNE 26, 2019 AT 10:33 PM, GOD CALLED HOME HIS GOOD & FAITHFUL SERVANT - CHARLES MASSEY RAPER - A GOOD MAN WHO THOROUGHLY ENJOYED BEING A FAITHFUL SERVANT TO HIS FAMILY, FRIENDS, CHURCH & COMMUNITY, BUT ABOVE ALL TO HIS BEST FRIEND … HIS LORD & SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.