Charles William Appling

Charles William Appling, 84, of Lone Wolf, Oklahoma, passed from this life into the arms of his Savior on June 25, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of love, laughter, and a lifetime of stories that will be told and retold for generations to come.

Charles was born on November 20, 1941, in Duncan, Oklahoma, to William Harley Appling and Susie Patterson Appling. He grew up in Fox, Oklahoma, where he graduated from Fox High School in 1959 before earning his Bachelor’s degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. In 1965, he married the love of his life, Cynthia Gail Fuller, to whom he was married for 61 years.

Charles answered his country's call to service by joining the National Guard in 1966 after which he devoted nearly 50 years to the banking profession, capping his distinguished career as President and CEO of All America Bank in Sentinel, Oklahoma — where colleagues became community and community became family.

To know Charles was to love him. He happily answered to “Charles,” “Charlie,” “Dad,” “Pops”, “Papaw,” and “The Commissioner” depending on who was calling. All he cared was that you had called. He was the man holding court in any room he entered, always quick with a one-liner and never without a story perfectly suited to the moment. Whether he was teaching his sons, grandsons, and their friends the best hunting spots, walking the boys through the finer points of a golf swing, or simply showing the people around him how to love well, Charles poured himself into others with quiet generosity and genuine joy.

Charles lived a full life — full of friends, full of faith, full of fairways, fields, and family gathered around a good story. He would want you to know he had no complaints. After all, he’d had worse places on his lip and never stopped whistling.

Charles was preceded in death by his parents, William Harley Appling and Susie Patterson Appling, and his sister, Patsy Garrison. He is survived by his wife, Cynthia Gail Appling; his sister, Barbara Moore; his sons, William Brian Appling and Troy Lane Appling (Sarah); his grandchildren, Brett Appling (Alexis), Brandon Appling (Megan), Blake Appling (Leci), and Jace Appling; and four great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held at North Pointe Baptist Church, Edmond, OK, on June 30, 2026, at 10:00am.