Charles Ray Harmon, or Chuck as he was commonly known, was born in the town of West, TX, to J.D. and Estelle Harmon, on May 28, 1930. As a child, Chuck loved spending time with his grandparents and was involved in the Boy Scouts. Although he grew up poor, that never dampened his spirits and only added to his drive and determination to succeed. To help his mom make ends meet, he would sell Cloverine Salve door to door. He said this is where he got his gift of gab and his selling skills, which would later make him very successful in the military aviation industry.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Jimmie Delbert Harmon and Estelle Thompson Harmon; his beloved wife, Martha Dell Harmon; and his son, Gary Ray Harmon.

Left to cherish his memory is his daughter, Gayle Harmon Philbeck of Forney, TX, and his grandchildren, Kelly Philbeck Fitch (John Howard) of Forney, TX; Shannon Harmon Haga (Kris Eric) of Childress, TX;  Bryan Austin Denton of Forney, TX;  Jeffrey Ray Harmon (Kacia) of Forney, TX; Mark Anthony Pianelli of Austin, TX;  Calem Jacob Philbeck of Denver, CO; Monica Michelle Philbeck of Forney, TX; and numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

While in high school, his family moved to Dallas, TX, where he would attend Dallas Technical High School. In 1947, at age 17, Chuck graduated high school a year early and joined the Navy. After enlisting, he was sent to electronics school and radio tech school. He later served in the Korean War, working on a destroyer. In 1951, Chuck left the Navy, but returned to work for them as a civilian contractor.

In 1953, while in Dallas at the Longhorn Ballroom, he met Martha Dell Tidmore. The two started dating, but shortly after, Chuck had to go to California to work, for what was supposed to be a three month contract. After two months in California, he was told that the contract had been extended for three more years, and they wanted him to stay. So Chuck called Martha, ultimately proposing over the phone and asking her to come to California and get married. Surprising to him, she said yes! Within days she was on a plane, and on July 3, 1953, Chuck and Martha were married in Ventura, California. A year later, they started their family, by welcoming their first child, Gary Ray on July 19, 1954. In 1955, after the contract in California had finished, Chuck, Martha, and Gary moved to the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, TX. On September 24, 1957, they welcomed their second child, a girl, Gayle Lynn. In 1959, the family moved to Garland, TX and in 1963, construction began on what would be their family home for the rest of their lives.

In 1960, Chuck went to work for, what would become, LTV Vaught Aircraft. There he would eventually become Director of Marketing, where he was the liaison between the company engineers and the customers, which were the military and the government. During his career he met with numerous generals, politicians, and government officials from multiple countries. He also traveled the world, going to military bases, company sites, and even the Pentagon; working on such projects as the Stealth Bomber.

While Chuck had an important job, he wasn't all work and no play. He built a dragster, out of a 68 Plymouth, with the help of his son Gary, and Gary's best friend Steve Smith. He was also a member of the Shriners. He would compete in marching competitions and help raise money for Scottish Rite Hospital. On top of that, he was an avid H.A.M. Radio operator. With his H.A.M. Radio, he was able to people from countries all around the world. Countries like Russia, Australia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guam, Sardinia, Japan, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Germany, and the continent of Africa. Chuck would retire in 1992. And while he had an exemplary and successful career, being retired now gave him time to spend with his true passions; his family, his cars, his newfound hobby of golf, and serving his church and his savior Jesus Christ. Chuck loved his family and loved spending time with them. Whether it was watching the kids, and later grandkids, play sports, going on family vacations, or going to family cookouts and birthdays, he loved every minute of it.

All that knew Chuck, knew his love of cars. They also knew he owned quite the collection over his lifetime. From a 57 Nomad wagon, a 59 Impala, a 67 Dodge R/T, a 69 Corvette, a 78 "Smokey and the Bandit" TransAm, a 82 Toyota Supra, to a 94 Z28 Camaro. Chuck took pride in his automobiles and kept them in pristine condition. He also passed his love of cars down to his son, Gary, and grandsons, Bryan, Jeff, and Mark. After retiring, Chuck tried golf for the first time, and became instantly hooked. He ended up getting his own custom clubs and playing, with his cousin, Ben, as often as he could. He even got the, elusive, hole in one during one of his outings, which he was very proud of.

While Chuck loved his family, his career, and his hobbies, to him, the most important thing in life was to be a faithful man of God. Chuck was a prayer warrior! He was at the church multiple times a week to pray. He was always faithful with his tithes and offerings, and always found a way to serve his church. He became a Deacon, taught Sunday school, at one time he was the church mechanic, he was of course on the prayer team, and later, after his love Martha passed away, he served in the Grief Share program, after going through the program himself. Chuck passed away on March 27, 2026. While he will be missed, the family takes peace in knowing that he is reunited, with the love of his life, Martha Dell Harmon and their son Gary.