Farewell to Our Friend: Charles Wilson

Written by Anita Foster, Regional Chief Communications Officer, on behalf of every Red Cross worker who ever met Charles Wilson

When "Taps" began to play and those haunting bugle notes hung in the air at DFW National Cemetary this morning, our eyes teared up and our hearts broke. Saying good-bye to a friend is never easy. Saying good-bye to a true hero is almost impossible. And that's what Charles Wilson was to us - our friend and our hero.

He was an unassuming man with the kindest smile and an even kinder heart, which made him perfect to serve his country, his employer; and after retirement, his neighbors in need near and far.

Charles spent 11 years serving in the United States Air Force. From there he went to work for TCU. When he retired in 2004, he was at a loss for what to do next so he came knocking on our door at the American Red Cross. For the next nine years, he became a staple in our daily lives.

Charles Wilson on assignment in Mississippi

We sent him to more than 40 national disasters and more local disasters than we can count. We asked him to clean out warehouses, catch tumbleweeds in our parking lot, scrub, gather, tote and carry things. We asked him for his advice and counsel almost daily. And from us, Charles asked for nothing except the opportunity to serve whenever and wherever he could.

His compassion and true love for people shined right through him. When someone was out on their curb, scared and confused after a disaster big or small, Charles could talk to them and within minutes, you would hear laughter and see the hugs going out.

He was truly remarkable. There aren't adequate words to express how much we're going to miss Charles. For now, we'll just do our best to follow in his footsteps and remember him as the man with the kindest smile with an even kinder heart. Rest in peace our dear friend.

--Your American Red Cross Family

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Volunteer Charles Wilson Has Been Everywhere and Seen Everything

by Kassidy Ketron, Intern

Charles Wilson is 78 years old and, through his volunteer work at the American Red Cross, has traveled all across the country.

Since he began volunteering in 2005, he has done just about everything and been everywhere.

“I’ve been all over the United States,” Wilson said. “I’ve been to Florida, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, up there in Indiana, Chicago. Let’s see, New Jersey, Oregon, California. I’ve just about been all over.”

Volunteering with the Red Cross can take you
all over. Just ask Charles Wilson.

In 2004, he retired as a locksmith supervisor at Texas Christian University and began volunteering with Meals on Wheels, but that only took about 45 minutes per week.

“I had retired and I didn’t have anything else to do,” Wilson said, “so I started doing Meals on Wheels, but that didn’t take but 45 minutes a week. And then after [Hurricane] Katrina, I decided to check with the Red Cross. I went down there and volunteered and I had something to do.”

He has done everything from client casework, to being a member of the disaster action team and to driving emergency response vehicles, which is his favorite.

Wilson said he enjoys traveling and helping people, which is a perfect combination with the American Red Cross.

One of his disaster responses that took him on the road to Arkansas left him with a funny memory.

“They had a tornado come through there and they’ve got a lot of chicken farms down there. That tornado had came and then it had sucked the feathers off a lot of these chickens,” Wilson said laughing. “That was the funniest thing I had ever seen, you know? A chicken with no feathers.”

Although, he has a few light-hearted memories during disaster responses, some of them have affected him more than others.

One time in particular, he said, was during a flood in Haltom City at a trailer park.

“This lady was trying to hold on to the kids, but the water was so strong that it pulled the kids out of her,” Wilson said. “And I don’t know if she ever caught them, but she had scratch marks on her arms where the baby was trying to hold on to her.”

Regardless of the disaster, he said volunteering for the Red Cross and helping people that are glad to see you makes it all worth it.

“[It’s rewarding] helping people in need,” Wilson said. “People that have lost everything that you can go in and help, just a little bit. That’s rewarding to me.

This National Volunteer Week, we salute volunteers like Charles, who make up more than 90 percent of the Red Cross and are the reason we can work toward our mission every day. To learn about volunteer opportunities, visit redcross.org to start your Red Cross story today.  

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