Charles Elwood (Chuck) Roades

Charles Elwood (Chuck) Roades

Charles Elwood (Chuck) Roades exited the felicity of life in a Houston hospital on August 28, 2025. Chuck, the eldest son of Ora Elwood Roades and Carolyn Elizabeth Roten Roades of El Campo, was born in Wharton, Texas on November 2, 1948. In June 1955, he moved to Austin, Texas where he attended the first grade. Chuck attended the second through fifth grades in Athens, Texas; the sixth and seventh grades in Tishomingo, Oklahoma; the eight through eleventh grades in Scottsbluff, Nebraska and his senior year in Wharton Texas.

Chuck excelled in athletics: played quarterback in football, second base and pitcher in baseball, and broad jumped and ran sprints in track. The last year he participated in track, he ran the second fastest 100-yard dash in the state for his grade level and the fastest 220-yard dash.

Chuck was deeply involved in Boy Scouts. He was an Eagle Scout, Senior Patrol Leader of his Troup, and a Summer Camp Counselor. In his junior year of high school, Chuck was selected, following a highly competitive public speaking and interview competition known as “Report to the Nation,” to be the only scout in the state to spend an entire day with the state governor and the only scout from a 6 to 8 state region to represent Scouting in a program in Washington, DC which included a session at the White House with the President.

When Chuck moved to Wharton, the summer preceding his last year of high school, he met Paulette Brandl at a MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship) backyard party. They began dating, fell in love, and married on August 22, 1970, before their senior years at the University of Texas, where Paulette was a nursing student.

Chuck attended Wharton County Junior College, where he was President of the Student Body, earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Texas at Austin, studied at the University of Houston school of law and earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from South Texas College of Law. As an attorney he worked as an assistant county attorney in Tom Green County, assistant district attorney in Midland County, an attorney for the federal government in Midland, an assistant attorney general of Texas, an attorney for the law firm Gates, Stein of Austin, and as a sole practitioner primarily doing land title work in the oil industry.

In addition to his parents, Chuck was preceded in death by his infant daughter, Jennifer Lynn Roades, brother, Robert Roades and brother-in-law, August Brandl Jr.

He is survived by his loving wife, Paulette Brandl Roades, brother, John Roades and wife, Therese, sister-in-law, Nancy Brandl nephew and nieces, Kerry Brandl and wife, Suzanne, Christi Meggs and husband, Russ, Leslie Roades and husband, Chris Benso, and Elizabeth Roades Parker and husband, Drew, and great nephews, and great niece, many cousins and friends.

Visitation will be on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, after 5 pm at the Chapel of Wharton Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at the First Methodist Church in Wharton at 5pm with Rev. Regina Gile officiating. Burial will follow in Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery in Wharton.

Serving as pallbearers will be Chris Benso, Brock Brandl, Bryce Brandl, Kerry Brandl, Drew Parker and Leslie Roades.

Funeral services are under the direction of Wharton Funeral Home. Condolences may be left at whartonfuneralhome.com