Charles "Charlie" Allen Angel, Jr.

Charles Allen Angel, Jr., 87, passed away on Sunday, October 23, 2022, at his home in Dallas, Texas. Charlie will always be remembered as the original Charlie Angel as he was oft to remind everyone that he was here before there was a “Charlie’s Angels”. He is affectionately remembered by his family as Captain.

Charlie is survived by his precious wife and best friend, Stacey; son Charles Allen Angel, III (Trey) and his wife Nicole Bates of Dallas, and son Martin Scott Angel and his wife Paige of Dallas. His sons never failed to make Charlie proud. Each day he celebrated the honorable and caring men they have become. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Lambert Davis Angel of Austin; Charles Allen Angel, IV (Chase) of Dallas; and Abigail Grace Angel of Dallas. Additionally, Charlie is survived by his terrier companion, Dallas, and a host of friends who loved him dearly.

Charlie was born on October 26, 1934, in McKinney, Texas, the only child of Grace Davis Angel and Charles Allen Angel, Sr. After graduating from McKinney High School, he attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. It was there, while pursuing a degree in Petroleum Engineering to manage his family’s East Texas oil and gas interests, that Charlie’s interest in banking emerged. While taking tortuous lab classes and knowing his fraternity brothers were drinking beer at Dirty Martin’s Place, it dawned on Charlie that the best job he observed in McKinney, Texas, was being a banker working “banker’s hours”. He changed his degree path earning a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas, an MBA in Real Estate from Southern Methodist University and graduated from Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University, where he later served on faculty from 1977-1978.

In 1958, Charlie married Mary Jo Martin. Over the years, they were blessed with two sons, Trey and Martin. Also in 1958, Charlie was deployed to Fort Lee in Virginia to serve his country in a most unexpected way. For a man who never knew on which grocery aisle to find bread and thought only finished meals came out of a kitchen, he was given kitchen duty and charged with food procurement to stock the kitchen that fed the troops.

After this brief interruption as a Captain in the U.S. Army, Charlie began his banking career at Mercantile National Bank in Dallas. In 1962 he joined City Bank as a credit analyst and quickly worked himself up the ranks to bank President. By 1970 he had joined Preston State Bank, where he met and worked with his lifelong mentor, bank President Weldon Howell. This bank is credited with creating one of the first credit cards in the nation, Presto-Charge, a forerunner to MasterCard. When Weldon Howell became Chairman, Charlie was named President and upon Mr. Howell’s retirement Charlie became Chairman. Preston State Bank later became Bank of the Southwest and when merged with Mercantile became MBank. In 1988, Charlie moved to join Deposit Guaranty Bank and its successor bank, Team Bank. He retired as Vice Chairman in 1992. After just a few weeks of “retirement”, the banking bug bit again and he joined the newly formed First National Bank of Park Cities as Vice Chairman, which he helped build into the premier Park Cities bank. It was subsequently acquired by Bank of Texas. He was then recruited in 2004 to start the Preston Center branch of the de novo Sovereign Bank. He was instrumental in helping build Sovereign Bank to over $1 billion in assets before it was merged with Veritex Bank. At this juncture, Charlie and his longtime associate, Jami Skidmore Johnson, encouraged their loyal client base to join them at Pegasus Bank where he served as Vice Chairman. Charlie wasn’t finished yet! When his longtime colleague, Stephanie Velasquez, called with the opportunity to join in the leadership of the newly formed Dominion Bank, he enthusiastically stepped in as Vice Chairman where he served until his passing.

Though Charlie had a long-storied banking career, he did know how to relish the lighter side of banking. He never hesitated to give advice in his own unique way. Whether a business proposal was genius, so-so, or foolish, he always relayed his true feelings about it. No one ever left his office with any doubt as to whether to move full steam ahead, take a detour or stop dead in the tracks. He was definitive and supportive in all his decisions. Banking was not all work for Charlie. He came to it with a twinkle in his eye. He used his joy for life, his dry sense of humor, his targeted opinions, his vast friendships and his love for all things fun to prove banking was so much more than a job.

During 64 years of heartfelt service to his clients, both business and personal, his customers and his colleagues, his top priority was always to instill an engrained nature of customer-related banking into young bankers. Charlie was always very specific about his banking philosophy concerning loaning money. He loaned money to the PERSON, not to their business or an entity. Character and looking someone in the eye when the money changed hands were the most important factors to Charlie. He would always say “I am loaning the money to YOU, not to your business”. As a result, Charlie NEVER had a loan that was not repaid – even if it took years to happen! This philosophy and his unselfish ability to mentor upcoming bankers will cement Charlie’s legacy and guarantee a future of quality banking in Dallas.

In 1983, Charlie married Stacey Jones Angel of Dallas and it was clear to all that this union marked a before and an after in their lives. She was Charlie’s Angel. They loved one another with such conviction and so much heart that it was nearly impossible to doubt that it was right for them to be together. “Hey Sweet, you look beautiful”, “I love you” and “Yes, Dear” were constantly heard from Charlie. The two of them could talk for hours and never be bored. They mutually adored one another and together they became exactly who they always wanted to be.

For 40 years, they shared so many of Charlie’s great loves. Foremost was his thirst for books. Charlie had libraries in every home, boat and under the seat or in the trunk of every car. His library, encompassed over 4000 first edition books, all of which he was quick to tell you that he had read but would not lend. Instead of lending you his books, he would immediately deliver you your very own copy. From his very first book, a gift from his father, “Lincoln Library of Essential Information” to the stacks of books by his chair waiting to be read, his love for reading embraced World War II history (of which he had a wealth of knowledge), biography, nonfiction, art, architecture, mysteries, science fiction, cartoons and cars, cars and more cars. Charlie’s love of reading was so appreciated that he was asked to serve on the board of the Dallas-based Taylor’s bookstores from 1987 to 1995.

Just like his love for summer East Texas tomatoes, homemade chess pie, corny dogs and ketchup on just about everything, Charlie found great satisfaction listening to classical music. Beethoven, Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, or a Broadway show, Charlie knew and loved them all. It was never a surprise to see him behind the wheel of one of his cars leading the orchestra!

Another of Charlie’s great loves was his home and boats on Lake Texoma. The 35 years of fun, food, bikinis, boat rafting, sunsets, bikinis, racing his Fountain at 80 mph from dock to dam, dock parties, Jessie, bikinis and the friends he shared them with were what Captain Angel loved most about the lake. His favorite book, “The Sunbird” by South African author Wilbur Smith, was his inspiration to christen his lake home as Sunbird Hill, his boats as The Sunbird, The Sunbird II, The Sunbird III, The Sunbird IV and The Sunbird,Too! If anyone asked Captain why he spent so much time at the lake, he would respond “If I told you, I would have to kill you!”

Probably the most endearing and recognizable thing about Charlie was his lifelong love for the color YELLOW. Whether it be his clothing, cars, boats or art, the primary color was always yellow. Yellow symbolizes happiness, hope and spontaneity. All qualities that epitomize Dallas’ one-of-a-kind Charlie Angel. Whenever you see something yellow, always remember him and keep alive your favorite Charlie story and memory.

His last years were blessed by a company of angels who provided love, care, comfort and friendship beyond words. On behalf of Charlie, the family would like to give heartfelt thanks to Lety Mendiola and Betty Taylor. Our special love and gratitude go out to the two he considered family, Pam Davis and Todd Reasonover.

In addition, the family wishes to honor and thank Detective Jennifer Johnston, Officer Linda Valverde, Officer Chris Thompson and Chief Brandon Ferguson, all members of University Park emergency services. The character, comfort, respect, dignity and honor they provided to Charlie and his family will always remain in our memories.

The family gratefully recognizes the care given to Charlie by Dr. John C. Brooks, Dr. David L. Luterman and the entire staff of Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation.

A memorial service in the joyous celebration of a life fully lived will be held at 1:00 pm, Friday, November 11, in the Sanctuary of University Park United Methodist Church, 4024 Caruth Blvd., Dallas, Texas, 75225. A reception will follow in the church Fellowship Hall. A private family interment will be held prior to the memorial service. To participate in the memorial service online, it is accessible at https://upumc.livecontrol.tv/ae3957e9.

Instead of floral offerings, his memory may be honored with a gift to AWARE Dallas, 25 Highland Park Village, Suite 100-485, Dallas, TX, 75205 or awaredallas.org.

It is the family’s honor to dedicate as Honorary Pallbearers: Harold Carter, Tom Deakins, Jimmy Griffin, John Klassnik, Charles Koetting, Dick Latham, Bill Marsh, Todd Reasonover and John St. Clair. In memoriam: Bert Cooper and Dan McCrary.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Sparkman-Hillcrest.com for the Angel family.