Catherine Charlene Farler's Obituary
Catherine Charlene Farler, née King, passed away on November 7, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 60 years, William Samuel “Sam” Farler, and her two sisters Ruth Ann Samuelson and Sarah Jo Vest. Charlene was born in Cordell, Oklahoma on Dec. 29, 1925 as the third daughter of Charles and Esther King, née Smith. She spent her early childhood in Oklahoma City, OK and high school years Corpus Christi, TX. She graduated as valedictorian of her high school class in Peary Place in Corpus in 1944 and attended Sundeen Junior College for two years. Charlene met her future husband Sam in Corpus Christi early in June 1946; they were married on Nov. 14 of that year by Sam’s father, a Methodist minister, at First Methodist Church in Houston, TX. In 1954 Charlene and Sam were founding members of St. John’s Methodist Church in Corpus. There she helped organized the Women’s Society of Christian Service, now United Methodist Women, and was its first president. In 1986 she and Sam helped found St. Andrew UMC in Plano, TX. She taught Sunday school a total of 27 years. Charlene was a loyal supporter of Sam’s career with the Boy Scouts of America, which began in 1946 and culminated as Assistant Chief Scout Executive and Personnel Director from 1977 to 1982. The family moved to Texas City; Tulsa, OK; Memphis, TN; Skillman, NJ, and finally to Dallas in 1979. With each move, Charlene demonstrated her great talents in drapery-making, home decorating, and upholstery. She was known for her good taste in furniture and fine china. In 1970 Charlene completed a bachelor’s degree in Home Economics Education at the University of Tulsa. She taught home economics in high school in Tulsa, was a curriculum planner in Memphis, TN, and later taught at Richland Community College in Richardson, TX. She taught sewing at the Wesley Rankin Community Center for three years and served on its board for six years. She was a long-standing member of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and served as its state chair. Charlene was a Cub Scout den mother for her sons for five years and a lifetime member of the PTA. Charlene is survived by her two sons, Charles Samuel of St. Charles, IL (wife Ute Westphal, daughter Esther Rebecca Farler-Westphal) and William Brent of Bartonville (wife Janie, daughter Lauren Alexander Farler and her children Andrew and Addison, stepdaughter Ashley Swindle and her daughter Camilla), and five nieces Karen Wallis, Nancy Cook, Trudy Moore, Dianne Morgan and Janis Young. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 2 pm at St. Andrew United Methodist, 5801 W. Plano Parkway, Plano. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a memorial gift to the United Methodist Women at St. Andrew Methodist Church in Plano, TX.
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