Charlene Farris

Charlene Farris (Ida Charlene Hall), 75, loving Mother, Grandmother (Sittee), Master Gardener, seamstress, artist, and talented cook passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 9th, 2020 in Austin, Texas. Charlene was born on December 10th, 1944 in Delhi, Louisiana to Gloria Lee Hearn and Charles Payton Hall. She moved to San Antonio, Texas in 1950 and graduated from Douglas MacArthur High School in 1963. She attended San Antonio College and then later went to work in the Civilian Personnel Office at HQ Brook Army Medical Center. She married in 1965 and had two daughters, Carrie Najim Matthiesen and Christine Najim Ray. She was a homemaker for many years, taught sewing at Bernina and later went to work for USAA.

When she was a child her family vacationed frequently at Inks Lake State Park. This started her love of the outdoors that ultimately led to her becoming a certified Texas Master Naturalist. She loved camping, especially at Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde National Park. She volunteered weekly at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in the Herbarium working in the seed lab. This tied in perfectly with her love for anthropology and genealogy.

She is preceded in death by her father Charles Peyton Hall of Delhi, Louisiana, her mother Gloria Lee Hearn, stepfather Joseph Hamilton Farris and her half-brother Leon Ed Farris, all of San Antonio, Texas.

She is survived by her children, Carrie Najim Matthiesen (Jay) of Dallas, Texas, and Christine Najim Ray (Corey) of Austin, Texas; beloved Sittee to Cole, Campbell, Lila and Kate.

Plans for a celebration of Charlene’s life to be held in the next few months is underway. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Charlene to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Follow the link below, choose “memorial” and then enter “Charlene Farris”:

https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/utgiving/online/nlogon/?menu=JW**