Edward "Ted" F. Charlesworth

1922 – 2020

Ted passed away and went to be with his Lord and Savior on February 8, 2020. He will be greatly missed by his wife and family. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on October 8, 1922, to Evelyn Barnes and Frank Charlesworth. He was preceded in death by his parents, Evelyn and Frank, his brother Don, his son Richard, his stepdaughter Dawn.

In 1944 Ted received a chemical engineering degree from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, and went on to work with the Armament Research and Development Establishment as a rocket development engineer.

After two years with the armament he joined Union Carbide Canadian subsidiary where he became involved with the engineering of plasticizer and hydrogen units. This was to be the start of a long career in the operation of chemical facilities. The start-up of a petrochemical complex for Celanese in western Canada followed the Union Carbide project. This lasted eleven years, which brought him to the Houston area in 1963 to Celanese in Bay City, Texas. He then moved to the New York headquarters for the next seven years as Operations Manager. While there he attended Harvard University and graduated from the 51st Advanced Management Program in 1967. He worked between New York and Holland as Director of Planning and Economic Evaluation. He then left the position of Vice President-Operations with Celanese to join the Lummus Company in Houston in 1973. He was the General Manager of Lummus Houston until he retired in 1985, where he then went on to enjoy lake time with his family.

Ted adored his family and especially his wife Joan. He treasured time with his children and was the best Papa ever to his grandchildren. He loved to make people laugh and was the best joke teller ever. He also had a great ear to listen and share his wisdom. He enjoyed fishing, water skiing at the lake, and snow skiing at Crested Butte. He was a dedicated volunteer in his community as a literacy champion for the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County, and a consultant for the Small Business Development Center.

He is survived by his wife Joan, his son Brian Charlesworth (Valerie), stepdaughter Michelle Taylor (Clint), stepson Michael Hardin (Holly), stepson Brett Hardin. He is also survived by his grandchildren – Ashley, Melissa, Jaimee, Courtney (Brandon), Emily (Connor), Sydney, William, Mason, and great grandchildren – Mackenzie, Jayden, Brandt, Remi, and Beckett.

Visitation is Thursday, February 13, from 5:00 -7:00 pm at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home.

Funeral Service is Friday, February 14 at 10:00 am followed by a private burial service for family.

Memorial Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery

13001 Katy Frwy.

Houston, TX 77079

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Star of Hope Houston @ sohmission.org or mail to PO Box 4463, Houston, TX 77210-4463, or you may donate to The Salvation Army @ [email protected] or mail to: 1500 Austin Street, Houston, TX, 77002