Charles Wilford Matheny, Jr. finished his life on earth on 26 September 2024. He was born 23 December 1924 in the Lake Creek Community west of Granite, Oklahoma to Charlie Matheny and Golden Caddel. He attended Granite schools and high school at Lake Creek. In 1944, he joined the Army and by that fall was part of Patton’s 3 rd Army, 95 th Division, 377 th Infantry, Company C in Europe. He was part of The Battle of Metz where the city was captured for the first time in history but with high casualties. The Germans referred to the Allies as the Iron
Men because nothing stopped them. In the following months, the war raged back and forth as the
Allies pushed the Germans out of France. It was during this time that
Charles was captured by returning German troops while he was left alone with a medic and injured soldiers. He spent the remainder of the war as a POW and survived to see the end of the war in Europe. In July of 1945, he returned home and married Mildred Elaine Lee. They moved to California where he was discharged at Fort Ord. After working in Oxnard, California, they returned to Oklahoma where their daughters, Ruth Elaine and Nancy Ann were born.
When the oil and gas industry was hiring in West Texas and New Mexico, the family joined many relatives and close friends living in Jal, New Mexico, Sweetwater, Kermit, Pecos, and Orange Grove, Texas. After his retirement from a natural gas company in 1994, Charles and
Mildred returned to Granite. Charles was in his element when he had horses and cattle to work, a tractor, and a backhoe. When he was training cutting horses or riding across his place to see about the stock, he was exactly where he wanted to be. Charles was preceded in death by his wife, Mildred, parents, sister LaFern Avery and brother Jim Matheny, and grandsons Charles Gibson and Grant Belding. He is survived by his daughters Elaine Gibson (Jerry) and Nancy Belding, granddaughter Erin Gibson Cunningham (Sean), great-grandson, Tyler Gibson, sisters Wilene Jones, Margaret Jo Jones, Jean Hanks, and many nephews, nieces, and great nephews and nieces.
The Matheny family will be receiving friends on 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Friday, October 4, 2024, at Greer Funeral Home Granite, Oklahoma.
Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. October 5, 2024, at Lake Creek Baptist Church in Lake Creek, Oklahoma with military honors at the church.
Funeral services have been entrusted to Greer Funeral Home, Granite, Oklahoma.
To send flowers in memory of Charles Wilford Matheny, visit the Tribute Store.
Previous Events
Visitation
4
Oct
323 N. Main
Granite, OK 73547
Funeral
5
Oct
37014 East County Road 1370
Granite, OK 73547
