Project 2,996: Charles J. Houston
September 11th, 2022 . by Cary
From the Legacy.Com site:
Charles Joseph Houston was 6-foot-1, weighed 225 pounds and had a thick mustache. “He had a rough exterior, but inside, he was such a mush, especially around children.” said Linda Houston, his wife.
He frolicked in his backyard pool with his 2- year-old nieces, read to his 9-year-old nephew, and in general “snuggled with them.” He went for walks with them and took them to movies and malls. “He was like a second father,” she said.
“But he was a pull-no-punches type of guy,” she added. “What you see is what you get. He wouldn’t sugarcoat on anything. If you asked him for an opinion, he’d tell you what he really thought, sometimes even things you didn’t want to hear.”
He and his brother-in-law, Otto Diodato, the father of his nieces and nephew, used to be efficient handymen in their two houses, merely a few yards apart. They’d be constantly concocting projects (redoing the kitchen countertops, building fences, changing the bathroom tiles) and actually finishing them. But shortly before the September attack, they had become more like “Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble,” his wife said. “They would joke around, enjoy each other’s company, and the projects would last forever.”
Mr. Houston worked on the 84th floor of Tower Two, for Euro Brokers, Inc. He was a member of Council 5989 of the Knights of Columbus. May God continue to give peace and comfort to his family.
On September 9, 2017, as a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, it was an honor to stand a flagline for the second annual Stephen Siller Tunnel To Tower 5k held at the Tempe Town Lake Healing Fields in Tempe, Arizona.
The magnitude of the loss of life that day was echoed on the fields of flags. The sense of remembrance as one walks though that field is palpable, heavy, yet uplifting. If you have the opportunity, go.
It’s always the big guys that are softies when it comes to kids. Thank you for remembering Charles Joseph Houston. Never forget.
Cary, I tried to leave a post for your tribute for Yuk Ping Wong, but was unsuccessful. Thank you again for taking the time to write such lovely remembrances. Never forget.
That whole “Fred and Barney” line made me think he would have been a great neighbor.
Minnie’s tribute is from 2005, so the comments are closed. Thank you for taking the time to come through and read them all.
Thank you for remembering … I honor Christopher Paul Slattery.
Thanks for stopping by, Alicia. With a little more time on my part, I will be visiting tributes starting Monday – this weekend was just jam packed already.
Everyone I fly I look yup a mange on the Flag of Honor. I say their name 3x and tell them someone thought of you today. . Today, I found Charles’ name.
Everytime I fly, I look up a name…(auto typing changed the words)
Thank you for stopping by, Kimi. That’s a very nice way to remember.