Obituary of Charles Earl Couch

Dr. Charles Earl Couch, 83, passed away on March 30, 2011. He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Mildred Couch and son, Andy Couch. Dr. Couch is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Wilma Jean Couch; sons, Vincent Charles Couch and his wife, Andree and Steven Earl Couch; daughters, Becky Couch-Kirchbaum and her husband Chuck, Katherine Ann Jones and her husband Stanley and Melissa Couch-Toal and her husband Jeffrey; grandchildren, Alyson Kirchbaum, Sophie Kirchbaum, Sofie Catharine Jones, Luci Couch-Toal, and Simone Couch; as well as a host of many other family and friends. Charles proudly served his country in World War II as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army. He graduated from Bluffton College in 1951 with a degree in Chemistry. Charles later went on to earn his medical degree from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio. He practiced medicine for 54 years as a family physician. In addition to maintaining a successful medical practice, Charles had a wide and diverse array of talents. He was a self taught classical pianist and avid pilot of his single engine plane. Charles’ philosophy of encouraging vigorous exercise to his patients carried over into his personal life as a competitive tennis, handball and racquetball player, and ran and completed multiple marathons. Charles was an excellent scratch golfer who was one of the founding members of South Shore Harbor Country Club in League City. He will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved him. As a physician and man of science, Charles was involved with many charitable organizations, particularly those dedicated to curing disease. The family will be having a private memorial service for Charles at a later time and has requested in lieu of flowers, that you may honor Charles’ legacy through donations to the Alzheimer’s Association, one of his favorite charities. Donations may be made to: Alzheimer’s Association, Houston & Southeast Texas Chapter, 2242 West Holcombe Blvd., Houston, Texas 77030 in the name of Charles Earl Couch, MD.