Charles Rex Williams

Charles "Chuck" Williams, 85, beloved husband and father, was welcomed into his Savior's arms on Monday, November 18, 2019. He was born on Friday, August 17, 1934, in Delta, CO, to Ralph Bert and Ruth Williams. He was one of seven children. He is survived by brothers; Ray and Ralph Williams; sisters, Betty and Charlotte; and his wife of 35 years, Beverly Williams; daughter, Debora Martin and son-in law, Shaun Martin; son, Rex Williams and daughter-in-law, Season Williams; daughter, Jonnah Glatt; daughter, Jennifer Raess and son-in-law, Joel Raess. He also leaves behind five grandchildren; Jaimie Martin of Castle Rock, CO, Keegan Martin of Dallas, TX, Cole Williams of Littleton, CO, Madison Raess of Las Cruces, NM, and Noah Raess also of Las Cruces. Charles was an alumnus of Colorado State University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Forestry. He also served in the U.S. Army from 1957-1959, where he earned a Good Conduct Medal and achieved the rank of Colonel. After the Army, Chuck worked in the National Forest Service where he served as the Technical Director on the TV series, "Lassie", survived a harrowing plane crash in New Mexico, played a key role in bringing Smokey Bear back to New Mexico to be laid to rest, and was the co-creator of the Woodsy Owl Campaign including the slogan, "Give a Hoot!  Don't Pollute!" Additionally, while serving as a Forest Ranger in the Black Hills of South Dakota, he fought forest fires alongside many Sioux. Ultimately, he was made an Honorary Chief in their tribe. His chosen career brought him to live in many locations including; Colorado, South Dakota, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and finally New Mexico. Upon his retirement from the Forest Service, Chuck became a successful realtor in Albuquerque, earning many recognitions and honors. However, Chuck was a humble man and cared far more for his family and friends than any professional accomplishments.  In retirement, he traveled all over our beautiful country, spent time enjoying his children and grandchildren and volunteered with the "Amigos" group to help maintain area hiking trails for the public. His faith in Jesus Christ and his love for family are the hallmarks of a life well-lived. Each Thanksgiving, Chuck would lead the family in a prayer of thanks to our Lord, being sure we all understood the blessings we've been provided. So now, how do we grieve during the holidays? Perhaps, it is most appropriate to grieve this time of year. How else are we possibly supposed to appreciate the glorious gift of Christ Jesus? During the “good” times, it’s so easy to take the blessing of salvation for granted, to utter words of thanksgiving with nothing more than cursory attention.  This year, more than any other, we grasp hold of the promise of eternal salvation by grace through faith… This year, our gratitude is magnified, it’s heartfelt and maybe, just maybe, we really “get it”. We do not grieve as those who have no hope. We grieve as beloved children of God, clinging to the Cross and clinging to each other. We know there is a time for every purpose and a season for everything under heaven; and so, we cry and we laugh and we love. This year, through our grief, we celebrate Thanksgiving, as never before… We anticipate the celebration of the birth or our Savior with renewed confidence that Christ has gone before us to prepare a place for us in His Father’s house. So… we grill the turkey like Chuck taught us, prepare the side dishes and celebrate our gratitude for his life well-lived with endless card games, pecan pie, cabernet sauvignon, and flannel shirts scented with smoked turkey; because that is what our husband, dad, brother, friend would have wanted.  He would have wanted us to celebrate his love for us, his life well-lived as a good and faithful servant, and our certain redemption in our Savior. A Memorial Service, with Military Honors, will be held on Tuesday, November 26, 2019, at Santa Fe National Cemetery, 501 N Guadalupe St, Santa Fe, NM, at 9:45 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the National Forest Foundation at nationalforests.org. Please visit our online guestbook for Charles at www.FrenchFunerals.com.