Charles Brinkley

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS -- Charles C. Brinkley, a community banker, died Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, in Fort Worth.

Memorial service: 1 p.m. Friday at North Fort Worth Baptist Church, 5801 N. Interstate 35W. Visitation: at the church beginning at noon and during a reception following the service. Interment: Perrin Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorials: The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Brinkley Scholarship Fund at Hardin-Simmons University, 2200 Hickory, Abilene, Texas 79698; the Weatherford College Foundation for the Charles Brinkley and Pauline Cranford Brinkley Scholarship Fund, 225 College Park Drive, Weatherford, Texas 76086; or the Northeast Lions Foundation, Box 820215, North Richland Hills, Texas 76182.

Charles was born June 27, 1926, in Weatherford to C.E. and Helen Wilson Brinkley. After graduation from Weatherford High School, he attended Weatherford College, where he was elected student body president. Both schools later recognized him as an outstanding alumnus. His student body office led the pre-med student to a job offer from the M&F State Bank, where be began a career in banking Feb. 15, 1945, which lasted through February 2009. His first week at Weatherford College, he met Pauline Cranford, whom he married Sept. 12, 1945, and with whom he celebrated 67 years of marriage. If you were ever around him very long, you heard at least once how they met and courted, and how he adored her still.

After Weatherford College, Charles attended TCU and was a proud, enthusiastic Horned Frog the rest of his life. He later taught banking and finance courses at TCU and the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU.

From M&F, Charles moved to First National Bank of Weatherford in 1952 and then to North Richland Hills in November 1961 as founding president of Northeast National Bank. Northeast became the flagship of a holding company, Northeast Bancshares, later named Texas United Bancorp, which merged into Allied Bancshares (now Wells Fargo). On Jan. 1, 1987, he began 22 years at Liberty Bank. Over his 64 years of banking, he served in numerous positions with the Texas and American Bankers Associations.

Charles led the petition drive and election campaign to create what is now Tarrant County College. He was founding chairman of the Birdville Education Foundation. In recognition of their decades of involvement from inception of the North Richland Hills Public Library to the building of the current facility, the children's library is named for him and Polly.

In 1952, Charles joined the Weatherford Lions Club, and over the ensuing 60 years sponsored over 300 men and women to join him in the Lions' work of service to their communities. He served his clubs in virtually every office, fundraiser and service activity, and as 2-E2 district governor. In recent years, he was honored by the Northeast-Richland Lions Club, where he was charter president in 1963, with a Melvin Jones Fellowship, a life membership and a scholarship awarded by the club in his name to college students demonstrating the greatest financial need.

Active in Texas Baptist work even as a young man, he served in the Baptist Brotherhood in the 1940s and 1950s, twice on the executive board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and multiple terms on the boards of trustees and development at Hardin-Simmons University. At North Richland Hills Baptist Church, he organized a men's chorus in 1964, the King's Men, which grew from eight members to around 65 vocalists and instrumentalists, all laymen, who sang in numerous churches and other venues throughout Texas and beyond until the mid-1980s.

Charles was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Dorothy Reeder.

Survivors: His wife, Polly; son, Michael and wife, Jamie Bodiford Brinkley; sister, Wanda Baker and husband, Paul; and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.