Dr. Charleta J. Dunn was born January 18, 1927, in Clarendon, Texas. The daughter of James Sisk and Ruby Burcham, she was the eldest of their four children. Most of her youth was spent growing up in Beaumont, Texas. She later moved to pursue many degrees of higher education.
She obtained her Doctorate at the University of Houston, and Post-Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Her professional career began with teaching at many schools and universities, including the University of Houston and Prairie View A&M University. Dr. Dunn retired in 1990 as Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology and Philosophy at Texas Woman’s University in Houston to devote her time to private practice. She served in several Gulf Coast regional public schools as a clinical psychologist. As an author, she wrote numerous monographs and research articles that were published in professional journals. She has also written a book of poetry, short stories for children, and academic curricula.
After retirement, she collected genealogical material from across the US. In doing so, she published three ancestry books and identified familial links to the revolutionary war, later being accepted as a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Above all, her life revolved around her family. She took great joy in spreading her wisdom and love.
Dr. Dunn is preceded in death by her brother, James Sisk Jr.; her husbands, Roy E. Dunn Jr., Billy Payne, and James Ratcliff; and by her eldest son, Judge Thomas Dunn. She is survived by her sisters, Jacqueline Richardson and Jearldean Redmond; son, Roy E. Dunn III, and his wife, Estrella; daughter, Sharleta Dunn Vochoska; and daughter-in-law, Vicki Dunn. She is further survived by her grandchildren: Spring Dunn, Joanna Dunn, Shawn Dunn, Sierra Dunn, Cara Parker, Alisa Johnson, Jessa Vochoska, and Jared Vochoska; as well as her seven great-grandchildren.
Visitation and reception will be held on Thursday, September 17, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Forest Park East Funeral in Webster. Funeral services will fall out the next day on Friday, September 18, 2026, at 10:00 am with a committal and reception to follow.
