Posted by Terry Powers on November 11, 2022:

Charles Emmett Cheever, Jr., banker, civic leader, philanthropist, and family man, died on October 29, 2021, of complications of a stroke at the age of 93. He was born on an army base in Manila, Philippines, on May 17, 1928, where his parents, Col. Charles E. Cheever, Sr. and Elizabeth 'Betty' Daley Cheever, were stationed. Charlie was a 1949 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a 1957 graduate of The University of Texas School of Law. As an Army brat, he went to four high schools in four years but never graduated (a fact always raised by his children when he critiqued their report cards). After being assigned by West Point brass to study Russian, he quietly traded with a classmate for French, but he couldn't speak a word of either. But he did know how to fly - he was an Air Force pilot instructor and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve--flying the T-6, F-51, T-33, F-80 and F-86. Quiet but confident, he met the gregarious Sally McKinney on a blind date in 1950 while he was stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base, and they married two years later. They had six children: Suzanne Goudge (Jim), Cece Cheever (Tim McHugh), Jean Cheever, Joan Cheever (Dennis Quinn), Charlie Cheever III (Regina) and Christopher Cheever, all who survive him. Sally died in 2004. He is also survived by his sister, Jane Cheever Powell and nine grandchildren - Sara Goudge Brouillard, Carrie Goudge Dyer, Cy Goudge, Kate Goudge Ankumah; Daley and Austin Quinn; Helen, Hope and Emmett Cheever; ten great grandchildren and numerous Prescott and McKinney nieces and nephews. Charlie intended to practice law in Sally's hometown of El Paso, TX but the largest law firm there offered him half of Sally's schoolteacher pay so his parents told Charlie 'If you're going to starve that way, we can starve you' and so with four children under the age of three, he took their offer and started at the Broadway Bank as a vice president and never looked back. Charlie was elected President in 1961, Chairman & CEO in 1982 and Chairman Emeritus upon his retirement in 2005. He worked to create an environment of innovation, extending the bank's motor hours to 7 am to 6 pm and opening on Saturdays, which resulted in Broadway Bank's expulsion from the San Antonio Clearinghouse in 1961. Charlie guided the bank through the hard-hitting recession of the late 1980s and personally took charge of Broadway's problem loans and special assets division, temporarily stepping down from his executive role to become a hard scrabbling workout man. Due to Charlie's perseverance, tenacity and commitment, Broadway Bank survived that economic downturn. Throughout his life, Charlie embraced the spirit of giving back to the community, which his parents instilled in him, and he and Sally instilled in their children. A devout Catholic, he was a member of St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church. Charlie was Co-Chairman of capital campaigns for the San Fernando Cathedral Restoration Project, Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, KLRN's Connect the Vision Campaign, Challenger Learning Center at San Antonio Community College, and the Army Residence Community. He was a laureate for the National Conference of Christians and Jews and served as a Trustee Emeritus of the University of the Incarnate Word. He also enjoyed serving as Chairman Emeritus of the University of Texas Health Science Center's advisory board for the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics and as a trustee for Southwest Research Institute. He was passionate about his civic involvement including serving as Chairman of the Bexar County Hospital District, San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, and Base Realignment and Closure Commission, as well as Campaign Chairman of the United Way of San Antonio and Director Emeritus of Project Quest. He was the founding Co-Chairman of San Antonio Education Partnership (with his friends Frost Bank's Tom Frost and Mayor Henry Cisneros, who all believed that education was the key to economic growth and a path out of poverty). He was a lifelong learner. In 1988 when he was named Chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, a local radio station offered a prize to any listener who could repeat 'Charming Chamber Chairman Charlie Cheever' 10 times without messing up. In 2004, Charlie was honored to be elected to the San Antonio Business Hall of Fame and in 2016 to the Texas Bankers Hall of Fame and the Texas Business Hall of Fame. In the banking world, Charlie served as the Chairman of the Texas Banker Association, Director of the San Antonio Branch of the Federal Reserve and Regional Director of the American Bankers Association. When he joined Broadway Bank, total deposits were just more than $11 million with one location; due to his vision, a great leadership team and innovation, Broadway Bank's assets have grown to $5 billion with 32 branch locations. After Sally's death, Charlie reconnected with his college sweetheart from the University of the Incarnate Word and in 2005, he married the widowed Nancy Jones Shary of Mission, Texas. She survives him along with her children, John Shary, Bob Shary (Shannon), Mike Shary (Gretchen), LizAnn Orr (Bill), Mici Graham (Brad); her twelve grandchildren and twenty-two great grandchildren. Her daughter, Jane 'Vaughn' Morris (Dave) died in 2018. They loved Charlie and Charlie loved all of them. Nancy and Charlie spent many years traveling around the world and months at vacation homes in Ruidoso, New Mexico and his beloved Port Aransas, Texas. They cherished their friends and loved celebrating with them at their annual Valentine's Party. The family would like to thank his caregivers, Madeline Rodriguez and Nancy's daughter, Mici Graham. MEMORIAL VIGIL SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2021 6:30 P.M. ST. ANTHONY DE PADUA CATHOLIC CHURCH 102 LORENZ ROAD MEMORIAL MASS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021 11:00 A.M. ST. ANTHONY DE PADUA CATHOLIC CHURCH 102 LORENZ ROAD Father David Garcia and Father Kevin Shanahan, M.S.C., officiating. Due to limited seating, both the memorial vigil and memorial mass will be livestreamed through Saint Anthony Special Events and Liturgies Facebook Page. Charlie will be laid to rest in a private service at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery with Full Military Honors. In lieu of flowers, Charlie, Nancy and the Cheever Family would be most honored by a donation in his name to the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas (Campership Fund or greatest need), 811 N. Coker Loop, San Antonio 78216, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, PO Box 831074, San Antonio, 78283, or a donation to the charity of choice. www.porterloring.com/obituaries/Charles-Emmett-Cheever-Jr?obId=22934338

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