Charles McDermott

Charles McDermott, 78, passed away on December 16, 2024, in East Tawakoni, TX.

Charles McDermott was born on March 27, 1946, in Milwaukee, WI, to Charles McDermott and Adeline McDermott.  He graduated from Marquette High School in 1964 and went on to eventually earn an Associates Degree in Business Administration from Concordia University. He started his career as bank teller and eventually went on to become a Loan Officer for several companies, retiring finally from Litton Loan Services in 2009.

Charles met the love of his life, Kathleen, in April of 1966.  They maintained a long-distance relationship between Milwaukee and Detroit and while he was stationed in Vietnam.  They married on June 21, 1969, in Detriot MI and settled in his hometown of Milwaukee, WI. The couple had 3 daughters, Patty Openshaw, of Cedar Park, TX, Mary Nguyen, of Houston, TX, and Karen Syblik, of Mesquite, TX. 

Charles was best known for his loyalty, generosity, and love for building things.   He loved being at home with his family and would joke that, just like his father, he would travel anywhere during the day as long as he was back in his own bed by nightfall.  He enjoyed building things with his father and could often be found in one of their workshops fixing something or working on remodeling something in his home, be it enlarging a closet or converting a pantry into a half-bath.  As he got older, he enjoyed fixing things for his grandchildren- he even had a shirt that said "if Papa can't fix it, no one can".  He was very active in his Catholic faith and could often be found volunteering at his parish.  In his later years after retirement, he became active in his local community, working on the city council and volunteering with his wife at the local library. His favorite hobby was taking care of his wife and girls.  In 55 years of marriage, it was rare to find them apart, and if one of them had to be away, they talked no less than four times a day just to check in on each other. 

Charles also served in the Army from 1966 - 1968.  He was drafted into the US army just before he was about to enlist in the Air Force.  He was sent to Vietnam where he served as Medical Corpsman for 2 years.  He was discharged after being wounded in action and received a Purple Heart.  

Charles is survived by his daughter Patty Openshaw, son-in-law, James Openshaw, and granddaughters Jordan and Avery Openshaw  of Cedar Park, TX - daughter Mary Nguyen, son-in-law, Binh Nguyen, grandsons Logan and Daniel Nguyen, and granddaughter Autumn Nguyen, of Houston, TX - and daughter Karen Syblik, son-in-law Ron Syblik, and grandsons Charles (C.J.) and Bobby Syblik, of Mesquite, TX, and  his sisters Kathleen Stone and Mary McDermott, of Milwaukee, WI.

Charles is preceded in death by his wife Kathleen McDermott, his father Charles McDermott, and mother Adeline McDermott.