Charles Spencer Bohannon

Charles Spencer Bohannon, known to most as “Bo”, and others as Chuck, age 88, a recent resident of Little Rock, Arkansas, but lifelong resident of Dallas, Texas, made his final flight on October 31, 2022. Bo was born on January 15, 1934, in Dallas, Texas to Herbert Spencer and Helen Marie Bohannon. After going steady for seven years, Bo and Donna, high school sweethearts, married on December 15, 1956. Later, they had two children, Lisa and Tad.

After graduation from Woodrow Wilson High School, Bo enrolled at Southern Methodist University, but his eyes always looked to the sky; after two years, he withdrew from SMU, joined the Air National Guard of Texas, and then transferred to the United States Air Force during the Korean War, where he was awarded The National Defense Service Medal. After completing active duty in January 1955, Bo flew in the National Guard, and joined Vaught Engineering during the day, he also returned to SMU night school where he finally earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1960. For Bo, flying in the Guard was not enough, so he made the decision to leave Vaught and joined Braniff Airways. During the Vietnam War, Bo flew soldiers to and from Saigon. He always said he hated flying boys over, but loved flying them home. A lifelong learner, one job was never enough, so Bo returned to SMU and graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 1964. Never in a hurry, Bo chose not to sit for the Texas Bar until 1972, but he only used his license to practice law from time to time until later in life, as flying was his real love. By the time Bo’s flying career ended he had amassed over 15,000 hours in 12 different aircraft – the T-28, T-6, A-4, F-80, F-86, DC-6, KC-97, L-188, B-707, B-747, B-727, and the A-320. He always said the “new-fangled” fly by wire aircraft were for the young kids who grew up playing video games. When his son Tad entered law school in Arkansas, Bo sat for the Arkansas Bar 25 years after graduating with his only preparation being to read the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure; he passed it on his first go round in 1989 (We think he even surprised himself.) Later, he proudly joined Tad at Wright, Lindsey & Jennings, LLP.

When not studying, flying or spending time with family, Bo always seemed to be in the midst of remodeling the house or yard. He did not own a single tool until after he was married; that all changed as he and Donna turned a house into a home. It began with a life-sized dollhouse for Lisa, then came a fort for Tad, and a beautiful gazebo with a peaked-roof for the family. Never left to chance, a three-dimensional drawing and a complete list of materials accompanied any project, which undoubtedly stemmed from his Engineering educational background. Bo was an avid Tennis player in high school, a joy he would pass onto Donna and Tad later in life. There were many wonderful summer evenings spent playing at the courts from sunset to close. Bo tried to coach Tad in soccer for a few years, but soon left that to others. Instead, he taught Tad to build or repair just about anything, and they spent many evenings together working to keep Tad’s old cars running. Bo’s motto was “if we don’t know how, we will figure it out.”

When times got tough, sometimes to Donna’s dismay, Bo always kept an even keel. A friend of Tad’s once said, “If the building was on fire, Tad’s dad would calmly say, ‘let’s consider our options before we take any action.’” He always put others first, and money was never a driver. It was not uncommon to hear him say, “We have food on our table and a roof over our heads, what else do we need?” This simple outlook on life was likely reflected a childhood spent with extended family, caring and supporting one another through the Depression.

Bo is survived by his loving wife of 66 years and best friend, Donna; son Tad; daughter-in-law Gayle; and his pride and joy, grandson Spencer. He was overjoyed the day Gayle and Tad asked him if he would mind if they called his grandson Spencer, after him. He was preceded in death by his parents and his loving daughter, Lisa Dawn Bohannon.

The funeral will be a 2:00 pm graveside service on Sunday, November 6, 2022, at Grove Hill Memorial Cemetery in Dallas with no visitation prior to the ceremony, or reception afterwards. The family ask that friends and family decline to send flowers, and instead requests that memorials be made to “Big-Georgetown,” an innovative community for adults with special needs, to fund construction of Grace Place. (Jackie Merrick, Director of Development, Big-Georgetown, 905 N. Church St., Georgetown, Texas 78626, www.brookwoodingeorgetown.org, [email protected])

The family would like to thank Alice and Nicole at Arkansas Hospice, and many, many thanks to Shannon, Rina, and the wonderful caregivers from Right at Home. Special thanks to Christine and Sara, for their loving care and support.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Grove-Hill.com for the Bohannon family.