CHARLES RICHARD TEMPLE

Charles Richard Temple, a trucker who more than likely hit a "million miles" in his thirty-three-year trucking career, went to be with His Lord and Savior on July 25, 2022. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family in Durham, MO.

Charles (also referred to as Charlie or Rick) was born on August 3, 1955, in St. Louis, MO to Richard and Jeanette Temple. He graduated from Elsberry High School in Elsberry, MO in 1974.

In his earlier days, you could catch him drag racing cars or tinkering in the garage on anything with an engine. He loved hot rods and anything that could go from zero to one hundred in a matter of seconds.

On November 14, 1992, Charlie married Cathy McReynolds Keith in Canton, MO. It was the first day of deer season and there were some complaints heard.

As years went on, Charlie enjoyed mowing when he was home and could be caught being ornery— using duct tape to fix things that may or may not have been fixed after he was "finished."

If you drove through Durham on a weekend, it is quite possible that you may have found find him stuck in a ditch with one of his many mowers. Then, you’d see him use his great tactics and try to get the mower unstuck by using another engine-powered vehicle.

You could also find Charlie on weekends enjoying time with his family, laughing with his grandchildren, buying an entire store for Christmas, and making homemade sweet tea.

One weekend, Charlie and Cathy took their children to Minnesota to go camping. Hilarity ensued when, let’s just say, someone, put some garlic bread in the tent and raccoons ate their way in. The following weekend, a magnificent tent with a raccoon-eaten hole was returned to Kmart.

Charlie always talked and laughed about a specific family Easter in which the family enjoyed the day and flew kites, that is until one grandson ran into a sign while looking into the sky. Not once, but twice.

He also couldn’t let anyone forget about the time Cathy accidentally left him at the grocery store — and a search party started on Broadway Street in Quincy, IL.

Charlie's love for ice cream ran deep and he loved Root-Beer floats. A&W was his first choice; and, if he had it his way, ice cream would have always been the main dish. He always had a sweet tooth.

Charlie also enjoyed watching TV, including watching MASH and Westerns over and over and over again.

Survivors include his wife, Cathy Temple of Durham, MO. Children: Theresa (Aaron) Steele of Rochester, MN; Regina (Glenn) McClanahan of Camdenton, MO; Ryan (Crystal) Keith of Ewing, MO; Carla (Tom) Steinbring of Blaine, MN; Renee (Rusty) Brownell of Maywood, MO; Richie (Beth) Keith of Ewing, MO, and Rebecca (Brad) Dreyer of Ewing, MO.

The love Grandpa Charlie had for his grandchildren ran very deep. He loved to take them for rides in his "Big Rig." He was often called "Turtle Legs" because he was pretty slow gettin' places and we often wonder how he kept his truck loads on time.

Charlie's grandchildren include: Andrew (Abbie) Lair; Shailee and Codee Dredge; Caedon Brownell; Drasyn, Morgan, Evan, and Emery Keith, Emma and Lucas Berry, Ace (Lindsay) Baker-Steele; Emma and Logan Steele; Kieran, Temple, and Lincoln Steinbring; and a special grand-dog, Freya Dreyer.

Charlie is also survived by his brother, Mark (Beth) Temple of Wentzville, MO, and his sister, Kim Hood of Lake St. Louis, MO.

Charlie also has several nieces and nephews that he spoke of often.

Charlie was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Jeanette Temple; grandparents, Charles and Helen Temple; brother, David Temple; daughter, Patricia Temple; and grandson, Ethan Keith.

Pallbearers are: Glenn McClanahan; Richie Keith; Brad Dreyer; Ryan Keith; Rusty Brownell; Aaron Steele; and Tom Steinbring.

Funeral services will be held at Ball-Davis Funeral Home in Ewing, MO on Sunday, July 31st at 3:00 pm, with Pastor Russell Brownell officiating. Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. until time of services at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Durham Cemetery in Durham, MO.

Charlie will be missed dearly, and we wish duct tape could fix our broken hearts.

Memorials in lieu of flowers may be made to Highland High School Athletic Booster Club in Ewing, MO.

Online condolences may be left at www.davis-fh.com