Charles W. “Chuck” Wells, 1946-2020

Charles W. “Chuck” Wells passed away following a brief illness on Sunday, March 29, 2020, in Longview, surrounded by his loving family. Chuck was born in Newton, Miss., on June 1, 1946 and grew up in Mineola, graduating from Mineola High School before attending Navarro College and University of Texas at Arlington. His humble upbringing in small-town East Texas didn’t prevent Chuck from dreaming big and fulfilling those dreams by becoming a successful entrepreneur and generous philanthropist. In 1972, Chuck married the love of his life, Jackie Lee Kelley, in Carlsbad, N.M. The couple settled in Arlington, where they started a journey that included children, grandchildren, friends and the ownership of a long list of local businesses. Chuck demonstrated early on a genuine talent for wholesale distribution. He purchased a struggling rubber products distributorship in 1976, which he built into an extraordinarily successful sales and manufacturing operation before selling out and relocating to Big Sandy in 1988. While living in East Texas, Chuck had the pleasure to pursue a variety of interests, including raising cutting horses and quarter horses as well as owning a magazine and a restaurant, building an authentic Old West Town on the ranch he and Jackie shared, and even serving on the Big Sandy School Board. He also saw his family grow up and become independent and found himself being drawn back into the business world of the Metroplex, where he and Jackie still maintained close friendships and business relationships. In 2000, Chuck returned to Arlington and purchased Summit Industries, a small wholesale distributor. Two years later, he purchased Fast-Spec Inc., another small distributorship. Chuck combined and streamlined operations of the two companies, growing them into a powerhouse sales organization doing business around the world. Despite his success in business, Chuck remained true to his small-town roots and always put family and friends first. He was a generous supporter of local charities and causes while not wishing to have the spotlight shine on him personally. He took great pleasure in traveling with Jackie, often cruising with family and friends to exotic destinations around the globe. Chuck was preceded in death by his beloved Jackie, his parents, a brother and two sisters. He is survived by his stepson, David and David’s daughter, Shelby; his son, Ryan (wife, Amy) and their children, Alexis, Cody, Macy and Kelly; his daughter, Nicki (husband, Chris) and their children, Charlee and Carson; his sister-in-law, June Kelley; nephew, Max Patterson; and niece, Sally Poarch; in addition to a huge list of close friends and associates. Chuck is also survived by his close friend, Mary Turner, of Longview. The family requests that donations, in lieu of flowers, be made in Chuck’s honor and memory to Arlington Life Shelter at http://www.arlingtonlifeshelter.org/ (To donate, please follow the link provided.) Service will held at a later date.