Obituary of Charles Coryell

Charles Henry Coryell was born Nov.4, 1913 in Corbin Kansas. He was the second of six children born to Ira and IvaLu Coryell. When he was thirteen he stayed behind when the family left Roll, Oklahoma so that he could work and pay off the debts the family had incurred. He was working for Worth Beebe at his grocery store and gas station in Roll. The first time Maggie Lee Merrit saw him she told her mama “I’m setting my hat for him.â€? The two were married on July 3, 1932. Before getting married Charles was paid $40 a month, and after getting married his boss gave him a pay raise to $45 a month to take care of his wife. Charles and Maggie saved for a honeymoon, but did not have enough money to take their own honeymoon. Charles and Maggie invited another recently married couple to travel with them for their honeymoon. The two couples sat in the front seat together, the entire trip. As time went on, Charles decided he wanted to work for himself. He trucked for years, did custom Harvesting, ran a school bus, and did anything he could to feed he and Maggie. They later bought Coryell Grocery in Roll and 253 acres where they could run cattle. When Uncle Sam called him up for service during world war II, they sold the store and Charles prepared to serve his country, but the military physical found that Charles had high blood pressure and he was sent back home. He liked the results his brothers were having in Colorado farming wheat. In 1947, he and Maggie moved to Colorado and farmed wheat on rented ground for years and did custom harvesting. In 1952, he purchased a section of land Northeast of Burlington. They purchased more land and people thought they were crazy for paying a $100.00 an acre in 1962. On August 21, 1962 Charles and Maggie traveled to Colorado Springs where they first met two nine and ten year old boys, whom they adored. After a picnic in the park, Charles (49 years old at the time) and Maggie (50 years old at the time) fell in love with the boys, took them to the Coryell Farm in Burlington and adopted them. After adopting Dennis and Bruce, Maggie and Charles let the boys choose their own middle names. Bruce chose to be named Bruce Charles Coryell, after his dad. Dennis chose to be named Dennis Wayne Coryell, after Charles’ brother Jonnie Wayne Coryell. Charles and Maggie continued growing their farming operations, and raising their boys. After 32 years of living in the country and farming, Charles and Maggie retired and moved to town. They purchased a vacant lot in town where the old City Swimming pool had been to build a house on for $7,000. Charles arranged to have a home built for Maggie, however she desired. He always said that she worked hard for him on the farms for years and deserved whatever she wanted. One thing Charles added to the house was a full basement with a TV and refrigerator so his grandchildren had plenty of room to play. When the two moved to their new house and retired, Dennis took over the day to day operations of the farm but Charles still spent almost every day of retirement “observingâ€? the farm. Charles and Maggie enjoyed taking long Sunday afternoon drives around the farm, and playing with their grandchildren. Each day during harvest Charles would drive out to the field and help, watch and critique. He would always let his grandchildren ride with him in the pickup and Maggie would send an extra coffee cup with Grandpa’s thermos, so he and the grandkids could enjoy watching the harvest together. As years went by, Charles did less and less work at the farm, but always stayed up to date on what was going on. When Dennis and his family bought the first four-wheeler for the farm in 1998, Charles was 84 years old and decided he was going to learn to drive a four-wheeler. For two weeks Charles visited the farm, hooked up the sprayer to the four-wheeler and sprayed every weed, plant, tree and sticker patch in sight. When not helping on the farm, Charles and Maggie enjoyed visiting Bruce and his family in Amarillo, Texas and playing with their great-grandchildren. While farming and ranching were Charles’ life, his boys, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and most of all his wife were his pride and joy. After 63 years of marriage and having Maggie read the bible to him every night, Charles asked Dennis to baptize him on December 27, 1995. With their life complete, a large and growing family, Charles and Maggie enjoyed watching their hard work and years of dedication flourish. On July 11, 2001, after 69 years of marriage, Maggie went to be with the Lord in heaven, leaving Charles and the family with many happy and fond memories. Charles lived the next seven years in he and Maggie’s house in town own his own. This past fall he and the family celebrated his 94th birthday, where he was surrounded by his boys, grandkids and great-grandkids. On December 29th, Charles went to the hospital and was admitted for having pneumonia. Despite his 15 days in the hospital before his passing, Charles drove himself from place to place, cooked his own meals, cleaned his own home, and balanced his own checkbook until the day he died. While in the hospital, he was still checking on interest rates and grain prices. Despite his health, for 94 years of his life, until they day he died, when asked how he was doing and how he was feeling Charles always said “Oh, I’m doing fine.â€? Charles went to join Maggie in heaven, and watch carefully over their family and farm, on January 12, 2008. He is preceded in death by his parents, Ira and Ivalu, his sister Alberta and her husband Floyd, his brothers Bill and his wife Emily, Deb and his wife Hannah, his sister-in-law Daphne and his loving wife Maggie. He is survived by his brother Johnnie, and his sister Mary, his son Bruce and wife Devany, their boys Chris and his wife Teresa and their children Justin, Christian and Cooper, son Kevin and his daughters Shylie, Lanie, and Morgan, and son Kelly. Charles is survived by his son Dennis and wife Debby, their children Tasha, and her husband Joe and kids Maggi and Colten, daughter Holly, son Zach and wife Jessica, their son Landon and Baby “Soon To Beâ€? Coryell, and the youngest Coryell granddaughter Deni, and many friends and neighbors. Funeral services for Mr. Coryell were held on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at the Burlington Church of Christ with Pastor Greg Smith officiating. Burial followed in the Fairview Cemetery in Burlington. Visitation was held one hour prior to services at the church. Memorials may be made in Charles’ name to the KCCMH Construction fund or to the Burlington Church of Christ and may be left at or sent to the First National Bank in Burlington.