William Charles Greenman Jr.

William Charles Greenman, Jr., found eternal peace on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. Charles was a loving and devoted father and husband. He was kind-hearted, sensitive, and a creative perfectionist. Charles described himself as a “maker of things”. He loved working with his hands above all else. He enjoyed designing and manufacturing pieces with wood and metal. He will be remembered as a father, son, husband, uncle, friend, creator, dedicated owner of vintage, 70’s era vehicles and hot rods, and so much more.

Charles was born in Columbia, South Carolina on September 15, 1965. He spent the majority of his early years in Central Texas. Charles graduated from Seguin High School in 1984. A drafting class in high school sparked his passion, and led him on a path toward architecture and engineering. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and earned a degree in Architecture in 1990. Post graduation, Charles found work with high-end architectural models which led to a career in prototype models for the tech industry. His continued desire to create/build brought him to his work at Collings Guitars and Mandolins, where he worked as a production manager in the manufacturing of handmade guitars.

Charles was passionate about mid 1970’s trucks. For over 30 years he has been an avid collector of these vehicles, and his Broncos, Blazer and Jimmy were his favorites. He was likely one of the most knowledgeable people in the country on this era of vehicles. At Collings, he had the great joy to meet and work under his mentor, Bill Collings, who was designing and building custom hot rods. He enjoyed having the opportunity to design custom parts for the hot rods that Bill was commissioned to build.

But the biggest love in Charles’ life was his son, Will. Charles was very proud of Will’s academic and athletic achievements. He loved attending Will’s football, baseball, basketball, and lacrosse games, and never missed a single one until Will left for boarding school. They also enjoyed working on cars, playing with Etta, and going to the movies.

Charles leaves behind family, many friends, and colleagues who loved him dearly. His memory lives on with his wife Elizabeth, son Will, and beloved dog Etta; parents Bill Greenman and Randy (Bobby) Orr; sisters Laura Stahl and Sarah Greenman; brother Stuart Orr; along with many sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, as well as many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.

The family invites all who were lucky enough to know Charles, to honor his life at the memorial service and reception following. The memorial will take place at Weed Corley Fish Funeral Home in Austin at 12:00 pm on Thursday, May 30th.