He was born August 26, 1930 in Oak Cliff, Texas, son of Lyman and Valda Moncrief. Charles spent his first nine years in various towns in Texas following his father’s surveying and drafting jobs in the oil industry. His family eventually settled in Midland, Texas for the remainder of their lives. He graduated from Midland High School in 1948 and went on to attend the University of Texas. His education was interrupted by service to the Army during the Korean War 1951-1953, serving in Fort Hood, TX as a corporal and company clerk for the 81st Recon Battalion. During his time in service, he was a victim of a bus crash where he rescued a child seated near him. As fire broke out, he got the child out of a small window where he and the child we able to escape to safety. He received an Army letter of commendation for his heroism. Upon discharge, he returned to the University of Texas and in the summer of 1953 while on summer break, he started to date the love of his life, Victoria Chapple (Toya). They married in the fall of 1954 and he graduated in 1955 with a B.S. in civil engineering.
He began his career in the oil industry with Standard Oil in Natchez, MS where Toya gave birth to a baby girl, Elisa. Reflective of the dynamic nature of industry, Charley and Toya moved around the country over the next two years living in Red Wash Utah, Vernal Utah, and Casper, Wyoming. Seeking a more stable lifestyle, he joined Humble Oil (now Exxon) in 1957 and settled back in Midland, Texas where his son, Charles James, was born in 1958.
In 1966, a new opportunity emerged with a small design and construction company, Ortloff Corporation. Located in Midland, Charley made the leap and spent the next 33 years designing and building gas processing plants. He loved this company, and the fine people he encountered, developing new processes and technologies. During this time, he moved into management, and mentored many younger engineers. Always committed to engineering excellence, and fostering development of his employees, he served as president of his local chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers in 1975. For his many contributions, he was awarded Engineer of the Year by the Texas Society of Professional Engineers in 1988.
Retiring in 1999, he and Toya enjoyed their life in Midland, going on international cruises, and visiting their children and grandchildren. Always productive, he was a voracious reader, and he made custom furniture in his woodworking shop, forever carving intricate designs and sketching artworks of nature and technology. A handball and tennis player in his younger days, he turned his full energies on to golf, eventually making a hole in one at the Midland Country Club. Finally, getting on in years, Toya and Charley relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado in 2011 to be near their daughter. A lifetime music lover and singer, he sang with the Larimer Chorale Silvertones.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Toya in 2019, and by his brother Hudson.
He is survived by his daughter, Lisa Mitchell with husband Tom, his son, Chuck Moncrief with his wife Firouzeh, and grandchildren Rebecca and Ben Mitchell, and Bobby and Nima Moncrief.
A celebration of life will be held at the Chapel of the Good Samaritan Fort Collins Village on April 27, at 10:00 AM. If coming to the ceremony, please RSVP to [email protected].
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Good Samaritan Foundation, Fort Collins Village, https://www.good-sam.com/foundation. Select in honor of Charles Moncrief and Fort Collins Village as the recipient. You may also send donations to Dementia Together: https://dementiatogether.org/give/ in honor of Charles Moncrief.
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