Charlene Ammerman

Charlene Ammerman, age 94 went to meet her Lord and Savior, on Saturday, October 30, 2021 in Gatesville.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 3, 2021, at Scott’s Funeral Home Chapel, with Dr. Lynn Parks officiating.  The family will receive visitors one hour prior to services at the funeral home. Graveside services and burial, alongside her husband, will take place at a later date at Dallas – Fort Worth National Cemetery.

Charlene Marie Beachboard Ammerman, was born on March 24, 1927 in Kansas City, Kansas, to the late Thomas and Katherine Walker Beachboard. She grew up in Argentine, Kansas, along with three brothers. When she was fourteen years old, she met Jim Ammerman and three years later, they married on February 27, 1945. During sixty-six years of marriage, they travelled together to every state in the United States and every continent in the world, except Antarctica. Charlene dedicated her life to the Lord as a child and lived all her days in service to Him. As a military chaplain’s wife, she was a mentor and confidante to countless soldiers, their wives and families. After Jim retired from the Army after thirty years of service, they co-founded Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches, an endorsing agency which sponsors non-denominational chaplains into the military, hospitals and prison systems. CFGC presently endorses about five hundred chaplains worldwide. When they founded the organization, Charlene’s “office” was in a closet in their home. Later, they purchased the three bedroom home next door, to house the offices. CFGC now occupies a commercial property. Charlene was the first in the family to master the Macintosh personal computer. She was an exceptional homemaker and raised four children: Carol Beth, James Mark, Steven Craig and Crystal Darlene. She was the family matriarch, a steadfast and loving grandmother of nine, great-grandmother of sixteen and great-great grandmother of four (with two on the way). Charlene was an avid reader, switching to audio books when her vision failed. She could name all the books of the Bible in one breath. She was an excellent cook and seamstress and was skilled in tole painting, cake decorating and flower arranging. Lest we limit her to these home-based activities, we must add that she enjoyed parasailing, water skiing, snorkeling and roller skating as well. She rode a camel, more than once and by the time she worked up her courage for bobsledding, she had missed her chance. She could stand on her head longer than any of her children. In 2002, she authored a book about her life called “Black Satin Bloomers.” Charlene met with the Pope and with the poor of Central America and shared her warmth and wisdom with them equally. Her husband, Jim Ammerman, Col. USA (Ret.), preceded her in death on March 17, 2011. In 2014, she moved to the Oaks at Coryell in Gatesville, where she spent her remaining years in an apartment that was filled with furniture, paintings and other souvenirs of her and Jim’s trips around the world. In her last days, despite increasing frailty, she was content with life, characterized by gentle strength and quiet confidence.

She is survived and leaves to cherish her memory, children, Beth Dunn and husband, Tom of Fate, Texas, Mark Ammerman and wife, Kathy of Geneva, New York, Steve Ammerman of Liverpool, Texas, Crystal Leach and husband, Ed of Gatesville, Texas; and their families; brother, Paul Beachboard and wife, Darlene of Bucyrus, Kansas; many nieces, nephews and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made in her name, to Coryell Health Independent Living at the Oaks, 1507 W. Main St., Gatesville, TX 76528.