In Memory of Charlie Self 1925 2022

Charlie Robert Self was born on August 18, 1925, the only child of Joe Otis and Cecelia (McKeown) Self, at Dixie Lease oil camp southeast of Wewoka, Oklahoma, in what was then part of the world’s largest oil field. He passed away peacefully on January 26, 2022, in Mustang, OK at age 96. Charlie was raised in and around Seminole County by his mother. She died when he was 15 and Charlie went to live with his Granny Newby in Konawa.

Charlie’s grandmother signed his enlistment paperwork to allow him to join the Navy at age 17 in 1943 during WW II. He took a troop train from Oklahoma City to navy basic training in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, quite a trip for a kid from Konawa. But the adventure was only beginning. After basic training, Charlie was assigned to the USS Nehenta Bay, CVE-74, a Casablanca class aircraft carrier. After combat readiness training off California and Hawaii, Charlie and the Nehenta Bay left Pearl Harbor in June 1944 for action in the Pacific. The ship participated in the Battle for Tinian and combat air patrols off Guam and Saipan. The Nehenta Bay played a support role in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. Later, the ship fought in the Battle for Okinawa in May and June 1945, with planes from the ship attacking Japanese positions on shore. Charlie and his crew on a 40 mm anticraft battery shot down a Japanese Kate torpedo bomber before it could hit the Nehenta Bay. The ship won seven Battle Stars for combat in the Pacific. When the war was over, planes from the Nehenta Bay dropped food and supplies to U.S. prisoners of war still on shore in Japanese prison camps. The ship eventually returned to Pearl Harbor and later sailed to Boston via the Panama Canal for inactivation. Charlie was discharged in early 1946 and took the train from Boston back to Seminole.

After the war, Charlie attended East Central College on the G.I. Bill where he lettered in track and graduated in 1950. He later earned his Master’s Degree. Charlie began his 36-year career in education in Hughes County at Moss High School. He went to Yeager High School in 1951, where he taught science and coached girls’ basketball. He still fondly called his players his “Yeager girls” over 60 years later. It was at Yeager that he met Lanell Daniel, a fellow teacher. It was love at first sight, and they were married in Horntown on December 23, 1954.

After the Yeager school burned, Charlie and Lanell took teaching jobs at Holdenville High School in 1957. Charlie coached the HHS girls’ basketball team from 1957 to 1961, when he took over as head coach for boys’ basketball. He coached the South team for the 1965 Oklahoma Boys’ All-Star basketball team. Charlie was an assistant coach on the 1964 HHS State Champion football team. He coached the HHS boys’ basketball team until 1971. He also taught woodworking and mechanical drawing at HHS until 1975, when he became the principal at Holdenville Middle School. Charlie retired from teaching in 1985. After retirement, Charlie and Lanell enjoyed traveling all over the United States, including two trips to Hawaii. They also traveled to Germany twice while their son Donald was stationed there with the Air Force. They later traveled back to Germany when their daughter Charlotte was living there with her husband Greg who was stationed in Germany with the Army.

Charlie and Lanell were active members of the First Christian Church in Holdenville for over 50 years where Charlie served as a deacon, elder and board member at various times. They moved to Yukon in 2006 to be closer to their grandchildren and were active members of First Christian Church of Yukon until their health no longer allowed attendance. Charlie was a well-loved husband, father, grandfather, coach and teacher. He was a master woodworker who built many fine pieces of furniture and enjoyed traveling, gardening and fishing. Charlie and Lanell were long time season ticket holders for OU football and women’s basketball.

Charlie was predeceased in death last year by Lanell, his loving wife of 66 years. He is survived by their son Donald Self and his wife Lisa of Oklahoma City; their daughter Charlotte Weider and her husband Greg of Wiesbaden, Germany; their grandchildren Justin and Cameron Self and Gregganne Weider; and his brothers-in-law Keith Daniel and Terry Daniel, and his sister-in-law Linda Tomlinson (Wayne) and several cousins. The family would like to thank the staff of Willowood memory care in Mustang for their considerate care of Charlie for the past two and a half years.

Graveside services will be held on February 4, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at Holdenville Cemetery under the direction of Yanda & Son, Bill and Dane Robinson officiating.