Charles Edward Gill

Charles Edward Gill, 64, of Joshua passed away with his family at his bedside on Saturday, May 13, 2006, after a heroic battle with lung cancer. During his fight, Charles never lost his sense of humor and continues to inspire all touched by his endurance. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 19, 2006, at the Mountain Valley Funeral Home in Burleson, TX. Funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 20, 2006, at Joshua Baptist Church in Joshua, TX. Burial will be in Hopewell Cemetery in Joshua, TX. Joshua Fire Department Chaplain Jesse Davis will officiate. If desired, memorials may be made to the Joshua Volunteer Fire Department Lady's Auxiliary. Charles was born on December 22, 1941, to Ervie Erie and Lenna Agnes Gill. After spending several years in Frost, TX, Charles and his family moved to Forest Hill, TX. He was a longtime member of Liberty Missionary Baptist Church. Charles graduated from Trimble Tech High School and earned his teaching certificate in photography from Texas A&M University. Driven and ambitious, Charles pursued all of his professions and hobbies with zeal. He worked as a photographer for Channel 5 News in Dallas, TX, served in the United States Air Force as a photographer during the Vietnam War, and taught photography at Brewer High School. While photography was his talent, firefighting was his calling. He began his firefighting career, which spanned over 50 years, as a junior firefighter with the Forest Hill Fire Department, eventually retiring from the Arlington Fire Department in 1998. Even in retirement, Charles continued to work with the Joshua Volunteer Fire Department as Battalion Chief. While Charles was also an amateur radio operator, the one role he enjoyed and served best was being Dad to family and friends. Thank you for sharing your life with us, dad. But more importantly, thank you for sharing with us your fight. We choose to face tomorrow with grace because you, too, never gave up. Charles is survived by his twin daughters, Stacy and Michelle Gill of Joshua, TX; sons, Brian Gill of Beeville, TX; Chris Gill and wife, Amy, of Cleburne, TX; two grandsons, Dustin and Brandon Gill of Cleburne, TX; and many friends, including his Joshua Fire Department "family."