Captain Charles John Elrod, USAF Retired, 81, passed away at his home peacefully on Wednesday evening, November 26th. (1944-2025).

He was the son of his beloved parents, the Late Rev. Clarence and May Smithee Pittman Elrod. Born during WWII with deep Texas family roots since 1836 from the Issac Guest and Smithee branches, Charles' parents moved to his father's new pastorate at the Presbyterian Church in Houma, LA.  Later, Charles was born in La, attended Houma public schools and afterwards completed a B.A. degree in Journalism and English with a minor in Sociology from Baylor University in 1966.

Following Baylor, he attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, working towards an M.A. in Journalism/Advertising. The Vietnam War was "red hot," so he abandoned his master's degree after a year, joining the USAF. He was stationed at Dover Air Force Base, commissioned as a Captain, and after 4 years was honorably discharged prior to the war's end.

After his military service, he was very happy to rejoin old friends from Baylor living and working in the Houston and Galveston area, where he would remain for the rest of his life. Galveston quickly stole his heart, and he laid down roots there early-on. His parents, wanting to be nearer, moved from Louisiana to Galveston, where Rev. Elrod pastored a Presbyterian church until his retirement.

Charles worked for a large Houston department store for a while, then Straughan Shipping, and finally for Texas WorkSource Solutions. TWS is a corporate, Houston-based, State of Texas/ partly charity-funded organization focused on locating work for employers, the unemployed, single parents, and economically distressed citizens in the Houston Metro-multi county area. Charles enjoyed his work near Clear Lake for two decades with his co-workers and staff.

Charles, the ever-evolving Francophile, found his second favorite city in Paris France developing friendships with several of that city's habitués. The stories he could tell from his 25 journeys to France would easily compete with Munchausen's Fables or Gulliver's Travels. He often said he would rather drive a wreck car and eat peanut butter than forsake another adventure to France.

When his employer relocated staff and downsized to other locations, Charles reduced his commute by finding work in Galveston in totally different field. He connected with old friends and mentors, the Yeatman's from Charles' beloved Grace Episcopal Church. He worked at their two enticing shops on his favorite street in the city, ye olde Strand. Charles was always a tad theatrical—as most will hopefully remember his stinging humor and quick wit—and the two jewelry shops provided a stage for dear Charles every day. He was basically a Dickens' character of his own design, and he had now found his stage with the shops' customers and his heaven-on- earth living and working in Galveston.

Grace Episcopal was yet another magnet for Charles. For almost 50 years, off and on, Charles sang with the Chancel Choir, enjoyed the fellowship and good home-cooked food on Sundays and Feast Days, and entertained as always. Grace Episcopal was always loving and accepting of this very beloved, thoughtful, eccentric, one-of-a-kind, Galvestonian gentleman.

Charles leaves his adoring cousins Jane, Amy, Johnny, Lera Kate, and deceased Alice Jane's family. He also leaves a small legion of close friends of many decades scattered from Portland, Seattle, Fort Lauderdale, Houma, Houston, Paris, and many in Galveston and beyond.

We will all miss you, old friend, and we all send you well wishes and quick passage through The Pearly Gates. Goodbye, dear funny man. You will be in good hands hereafter.

*A Memorial Service held at Grace Episcopal with date announced later through Carnes Brothers E-mail address listed below.

Interment at Galveston Memorial Park, Hitchcock, Galveston County, TX and will be held privately at some point in future.

For all the many who loved and cared for "our" Charles, special farewells from a few of his oldest friends are Charles Shaw, Clay Sterling, Bob Dean, Alan Reece, the Yeatman family, Ken Matthews, Penn Price, Myron, Michael McKinney, Dan Wilser, Robert DuPuy, friends and Chancel Choir at Grace Episcopal Church, Reverend Michael Briggs.

"Sometimes it takes a village".

💖 Memorials

Memorials to Charles' life would be gratefully received at:

Grace Episcopal Church 1115 36th St. Galveston, TX 77550
Grace online
By phone at 409-762-9676
office@gracechurchgalveston.org
Also, gifts may be sent in Charles' memory to:

Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
Vietnam Veterans of America (vva.org)
*Announcements, updates for the Memorial Service can be found through the Carnes Brothers Funeral Home: Please check back for that or other information:

Contact Rusty at Carnes with any questions: rustycarnes@aol.com                                               Tel: (409)-765-8080.