Charles James Washington III

Charles James “Chuck” Washington III, 66, of Spring, TX entered eternal rest on Thursday, April 6. He was a beloved husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin, son, and friend to many. He was greatly loved and will be remembered for his humor, wisdom, optimism, and care.

Chuck was born October 10, 1956 in Richmond, Virginia to the late Charles James, Jr. (C.J.). and Ruth Garrett Washington. Chuck and his older sister, Cynthia, were raised in Winston-Salem, NC where he attended Winston-Salem Forsyth County public schools, playing basketball and football at Carver High and East Forsyth High Schools. He graduated in 1974. He then attended Howard University in Washington D.C. and graduated in 1979 with a Bachelors in Business Administration in Accounting.

Courageous, driven, and always eager for a new adventure, Chuck moved to Houston soon after a brief stint working for B.F. Goodrich in Cleveland, Ohio following graduation. In Houston, he met and married the love of his life - fellow Howard alumnus, Robyn Slade Washington in 1986. And to this union two daughters made him the consummate Girl Dad - Cherise and Courtney Washington.

Chuck was a born leader – professionally and personally. He was intelligent, inspiring, and resilient with a genuine heart. His 40-year career spanned experiences in the technology and oil & gas industries at Compaq, Hewlett Packard, and Circor Energy. He held various leadership roles in accounting and finance and traveled the world to start new operations in countries including Taiwan, Singapore, and Brazil. His coworkers and direct reports greatly valued him as an inclusive leader, team player, friend, and admired mentor. He also gave back to the community as a Board Member for Nuts About Health, a Connecticut based non-profit organization.

Chuck was a phenomenal father. His ambition, successful career, and international business trips inspired his daughters to follow in his footsteps as servant global business leaders and world travelers. He spoke with his daughters daily, empowered them to be fearless and inspired them to reach their God-given potential.

As a devoted friend and family man, Chuck valued family and friendship above all. He enjoyed visiting friends and loved ones in NC and Connecticut, sharing jokes, championing HBCUs, mentoring family members, and attending live concerts and sporting events. No matter the distance, Chuck always found the time to catch up with friends and loved ones, near and far.

Chuck was an avid lover of the cinematic experience, small and large screen, diving deep into the latest releases from HBO to the MCU. Also, as a former athlete, he loved sports and quickly embraced the Houston teams - from the Rockets to the Astros to the Oilers/Texans to the Dynamos. At any given moment, you could find him bantering with friends about the NBA Playoffs, NFL, the Masters, or college sports, to name a few. Most importantly, he always found the right balance on cheering for his daughters’ rival alma maters - UNC or Duke - for any given season and had aspirations of writing a book one day.

Chuck leaves to carry on his legacy, his wife Robyn Washington of Spring, TX; daughters Cherise Washington of Oakland, CA and Courtney Washington of Dallas, TX; sister Cynthia W. (Marshall) Jeffries of Winston-Salem, NC; stepmother Adeline Washington of Augusta, GA; brother Charles “Rayshard” Washington of Virginia Beach, VA; cousin Theodore “Teddy” Spurlock of Richmond, VA; nephews Marshall Jeffries, Jr. and Joshua Jeffries and niece Megan (Chaston) Borders and grand-nieces and nephews Josephine Jeffries, Jones Jeffries, Pharaoh Baker, Chaston Borders, Jr. and Mekhi Borders all of Winston-Salem, NC; sisters-in-law Dawn Slade and Ann (Barry) Abraham of New Haven, CT; nephew Cantrell Cheeks II of Cleveland, Ohio; brother-in-law Reginald “Reggie” Slade of New Haven, CT; niece and nephew Jasmine Slade of New Haven, CT and Zion Slade of Charlotte, NC; and loving cousins, nieces, nephews. Chuck will also be missed greatly by special lifelong friends - Ron Hollingsworth of Winston-Salem, Haywood 'Gregory' Nobles of Washington DC, Boris Younger of Asheville, NC, Benjamin 'Benji' Carpenter of Charlotte, NC, Kenneth "Jake" Gwyn of Dallas, TX, Walter Freeman of Mill Valley, CA, Buddy of Spring, TX, and a host of friends who loved him dearly.