Obituary of Charles Henry Ivers IV

Charles (Charlie) Henry Ivers, IV, 80, of Fort Worth, Texas passed away on September 18, 2021. He was a devoted Traditional Catholic, Veteran of the US Navy, beloved son, brother, husband, father, uncle, grandpa, and great-grandpa.Born in Los Angeles, California, on November 29, 1940, to Charles & Evelyne (nee Bennett) Ivers. He was the oldest of two children. Four years later, his family relocated to Amarillo, Texas. He attended Price Memorial College, a Catholic high school, taught by the Christian Brothers.Later, Charlie joined the Navy in 1961. During the Vietnam War, he was stationed for two years at the Naval Air Station in Atsugi, Japan. There he worked on the flight line and put in radar systems. During his tour he became enamored with the Japanese people, culture, and their language–eventually learning enough Japanese to become conversational. He attended the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, climbed Mt. Fuji, and travelled the country photographing the cities and scenery. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were Charlie’s most talked about cities.After leaving the Navy, Charlie settled in Fort Worth. He met his future wife, Kathleen (nee Pagel) of Muenster, TX through a Catholic singles group, the Tri-C Club. Charlie was immediately smitten and proposed to Kathy on their second date. Kathy eventually agreed and six months later they were married in November of 1968. In their 52 years together, they had five children.Charlie was an engineer. His career included working on the F-111 and F-16 and later working in flight simulation. In 2011, he retired from General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin after a remarkable 44 years.Charlie could fix anything and had a variety of interests and hobbies. He enjoyed fixing and maintaining his original 1968 Dodge Dart convertible, CB radio (his handle was Cardinal), metal detecting, fishing, boating, woodworking, leather crafting, jewelry making, sculpting, painting (with both oils and watercolors), taking photographs, landscaping, computers, and crafting and shooting GUNS! Not only was he a gunsmith, in his heart he was a true cowboy. Charlie belonged to a single action shooting society of Bowie, Texas, the Texas Doughboys, who knew him as Horse Feather.He was famous for his humor. He loved telling a good dad joke, sharing his favorite comic strips, or playing a prank on someone. His laugh was infectious and there were times he literally fell on the floor laughing so hard.Over the years, he had a few pet birds, a couple of aquariums, and several terrariums that he nurtured; however his biggest project was building and caring for his beloved Koi pond in the backyard that his family—especially his wife and sister– also enjoyed. His favorite meal was breakfast, featuring sunny side up eggs, bacon, and toast with coffee. His favorite subject was history, and he enjoyed visiting the Washington, D.C. area, where his son-in-law and family were stationed in Virginia. His favorite pet was Max, a miniature Yorkshire Terrier, some might say he loved more than his children. Most of all he loved God, family, Texas, and the USA!Charlie loved going to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days and was very devoted to Our Lady and his daily rosary. He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church in North Richland Hills.He is survived by his wife, Kathy, daughters Donna Martinez (Rob), Theresa Kleeman (Mark), Janet Etheridge (Kevin), and son, Carl Ivers (Kelly); nine grandchildren, Brandon, Alyssa, Andrew, and Gemma Kleeman; Caleb, Adam, Loren, and Madalyn Etheridge, Courtney Lloyd (Dylan); and great-grandchildren Paisley and Ella Lloyd. Charlie was preceded in death by his youngest daughter, Nicole; his parents, Charles and Evelyne, his sister, Mary Lou, and his in-laws, Jerome and Gertie Pagel.