Charles William Covill

Charles W Covill was born March 2, 1920 in Otero County, New Mexico. He attended school in New Mexico and West Texas during the Great Depression where he learned a lifelong lesson in austerity. He enrolled at Daniel Baker College in Brownwood TX until the outbreak of World War Two. He joined the Army Air Force, became a member of the 25th Bombardment Squadron as an Aircraft Electrical Mechanic, and traveled around the world through China, Burma, India, Egypt and an Island hopping campaign ending at Tinian in the Mariana’s where they launched the final assault on Japan, when the war was over he received an honorable discharge at the rank of Staff Sargent in 1946.

After the war, Charles searched for the young woman he had met through USO activities and married Patricia Ann Griffin on March 7, 1946. Their Son, Bruce, was born on Jan 28, 1947. Charles used the GI bill to pursue an Engineering degree at Tri State Collage in Angola India. Upon graduation he moved his family to Santa Fe New Mexico where he worked for the State highway department, bridge division. In June of 1954 he accepted an offer from the Texas Highway department and moved to Austin. His daughter Diann was born on March 6, 1955. During his engineering career, he designed many bridges that received national awards, including the Corpus Christi High Bridge, the Houston Ship Channel Bridge, Devil’s River Bridge, and was involved preliminary engineering on the Loop 360 Bridge over lake Austin when he retired in March of 1982.

Charles was always active in community activities including the Boy Scouts, where he served as Scoutmaster for 13 years; American Red Cross, where he taught First Aid, Swimming, and Life Saving, He was a member of the Austin Kennel Club as well as the Capitol Dog Training Club of Austin where he taught obedience classes and took his own Great Dane to win several tittles, including the American Kennel Club’s highest obedience award “Utility Dog”.

Charles joined the Austin Gem and Mineral Society in 1968, served as Show Chairman in 1972 and President in 1974. After his retirement from the Highway Dept. 1982, he turned his engineering talents to the faceting of gem stones and received certificates for 7 original designs picked with the 12 Best of the Year by the Columbia-Willamet Faceters Guild. To the astonishment of other Facet designers, he didn’t do his designs with a computer, he used a slide rule. He has been a speaker at the Texas Faceters Guild Symposium, the Northwest Faceters Symposium, the New Mexico Faceters Symposium and the Tucson Faceters Symposium.

At the age of 93, he found himself the victim of a Social Security typo error that changed his birth date from March 2 to March 20. This caused the rejection of Medicare health and prescription benefits. The Social Security Administration said they were not able correct their error, telling him he would just have to use the birth date they had established. With a little help from a US congressman, a local TV station and a whole lot of perseverance, the Social Security Administration discovered that they could correct their error after all.

Charles was preceded in death by his Father, John Covill; his Mother Mary Covill; his wife Patricia Ann Covill; Brothers Floyd, Elmer & Alton; and Sister Hazel Wingfield. He is survived by his sister Betty Street, son Bruce Covill, daughter Diann Hill, 6 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren.