Charles Edwin Hampton, Sr.

Mr. Charles Edwin Hampton, age 75, passed away April 29, 2024, at Baylor St. Luke’s Hospital in Sugarland, Texas.

The funeral service will be held at 12:00 p.m., Saturday, May 4, 2024, in the Chapel at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home in Waco, Texas, with interment to follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Waco. There will be a visitation from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Friday, May 3, 2024, in the Garden Room at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home.

Charles was born October 22, 1948, in Waco, Texas, to Roy Mizell Hampton and Hazel Lucretia Cooper Hampton. His early years were spent in Searcy, Arkansas, before his family settled in Coolidge, Texas, and later returned to Waco. At Connally High School in Waco, where he graduated as valedictorian in 1967, Charles distinguished himself as both a football team captain and a standout member of the debate team. Charles attended Rice University for one year, before marrying his high school rosebud, Cynthia A. Torrance, September 14, 1968, in Waco, Texas. The newly married couple transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, from which they both graduated with undergraduate and graduate degrees. Charles received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1971, Phi Beta Kappa, his master’s degree in mathematics with course work toward PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1975, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1977. Charles spent most of his professional career as a staff attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas, working primarily for Chief Justice Jack Pope. Charles was a Silver Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League, served multiple terms as a District Governor for the Austin Founder Lions Club of Austin, Texas, and was a faithful member of the Church of Christ all his life. Retiring with his wife to the Waco area in 2008, Charles relocated to the Houston area in 2023 due to declining health.

Charles was preceded in death by his still-born son, Matthew; his parents, Roy Mizell Hampton and Hazel Lucretia Cooper Hampton; his half-siblings including sister, Patsy Burke and her husband Chalmers, brother, Robert Hampton and his wife Vannie, sister, JoAnn Hackett and her husband, and brother, Don Hampton and his wife Barbara.

Charles is survived by his wife of 55 years, Cynthia A Torrance Hampton; his son, and daughter-in-law, Charles Jr and Cherie Hampton; his son, and daughter-in-law, Adam and Clare Hampton; and two granddaughters, the treasures of his old age, Anne and Marie; as well as numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Memorials may be made to the Center for Christian Studies, McNicol – Weed Endowment, the Hewitt Church of Christ, the Central

Texas Children’s Home, or the Lions Club International Seeing Eye Dog Program.

The family invites you to leave a message or memory on Charles’ “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.