Charles Metzler

He is survived by his devoted wife of 63 years, Mary Catherine (McHugh) and their five children; Charles Jr. and wife Carolyn of Albuquerque, Michael and wife Heidi of Lubbock, Jonathan of Dallas, Timothy and wife Christina of Cotton Center and Margaret and husband Tommy Cook of Lubbock.

Charles and Catherine were married in 1955 at Incarnation Catholic Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Charles was blessed to have a loving family and took tremendous joy in his wife, children and grandchildren. His beloved grandchildren are Michael, Shane, Matthew and Amanda Metzler, Mary Catherine, Jude and Augustine (Gus) Cook and Anne Marie Metzler. He is survived by his many nieces and nephews. His brother Frank Metzler and sisters Katherine Millard and Alice Flournoy predeceased him. He deeply loved his Catholic faith, his family and his country. He was a member of Christ the King Catholic Cathedral in Lubbock.

He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His finest accomplishment was his successful role as husband and father.

Charles, born in Amarillo, TX in 1927 to Herman and Charlotte (Shaughnessy) Metzler, spent his childhood during the depression in the cabin built by his father at their homestead on the South Fork of the Little Colorado River near Springerville in the White Mountains of Arizona. His mother was new to country life but always adjusted to the circumstances. She taught Charles to read before first grade. She played the organ and sang the Latin High Mass for the mostly Spanish speaking congregation. Growing up they did not have electricity or running water, but they did have lots of milk from their cow, fresh trout from the creek and an occasional turkey that he and Frank would run down and grab from horseback.

When Charles was in high school, his family moved to Albuquerque where he graduated from St Mary Catholic High School. He played clarinet and tenor sax in a dance band in high school and college. Blessed with a sharp mind, at age 15 he began college at the University of New Mexico where he was a premed student. When he turned 18, he enlisted in the Navy and was a Pharmacist’s Mate during WWII. He was always a patriot.

After WWII, Charles returned to the University of New Mexico and graduated with a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Chemistry. He utilized the GI Bill to attend medical school and received his M.D. degree with highest honors from the University of Colorado where he was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and lived at the Phi Rho Sigma medical fraternity house. He interned at Philadelphia General Hospital and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota, where he met and married Catherine. They moved to Denver for a fellowship in Cardiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Dr. Metzler practiced medicine in Albuquerque for over 30 years. He took pride in providing quality medical care to his patients. He loved learning and enjoyed rounding on the wards with the endocrinology service at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. His community activities included the Catholic Physician Guild, Serra International and the Elks Club. Charles and his children loved spending weekends for nearly 30 years at his Los Ojitos Ranch in Manzano, New Mexico.

Following his retirement, Charles worked with Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas for three years and retired again to Lubbock where he and Catherine enjoyed grandchildren, a new parish family and his volunteer time with Friends of the Library. He was an avid reader and gathered a collection of hard to find old westerns and mystery books culled from years of searching estate sales in retirement. He took great pleasure in sales and coupons. He was a wonderful cook and we might walk in any day of the week to a Sunday dinner if he found the right cut of meat from one of his local butcher friends.

He always thanked his mother for nurturing his gift of faith and he passed it on to his children because he knew it to be true. He prayed the Rosary daily and always made sure to find a Catholic church for Sunday Mass whether at home, on fishing trips to Bluewater, Fenton and Eagle Nest Lakes or on trips across the US. He most loved, however, going to Arizona and specifically visiting the old cabin up South Fork outside of Springerville. He enjoyed reminiscing about his wonderful childhood in Springerville during the depression.

Charles never wanted things and possessions for himself. He was thrifty, logical, honest and a man of integrity. The bow-ties he wore in his early years reflected his whimsical delight in traditions and academic medicine. He had a quick wit, making Catherine and his children laugh out loud to quips that were the result of his deep insight to the irony of circumstances and human nature in general. He was wise and usually found to be right in the end. He gave everything he had to his family. His children are fortunate to stand on his shoulders in life. He was a self-made man in the true sense of the term. Charles was a worthy member of the Greatest Generation.

Thank you, Jesus, for sending us this man.

Rosary will be recited at 6 pm Friday and funeral Mass at 10 am Saturday, both at Christ the King Catholic Cathedral. Interment will be in Santa Fe National Cemetery in New Mexico.