Charles "Chuck" M. Nyquist

Charles Mauritz Nyquist, known to friends as Chuck, passed to heaven February 22, 2024, at the age of 92.

He was born October 12, 1931, in Waco, Texas, to Claus Mauritz Nyquist and Ruby Viola Broman Nyquist. He had one older sister, Delores, and three younger sisters, Marilyn, Judy, and Sharon. He grew up in Kansas, spending time in Caldwell, Cheney, and Enterprise, towns where his father was a Methodist minister. He played the trumpet in school; he also played the harmonica, a little piano, and could yodel and sing. In school, he was an athlete, participating in every sport available. His excellent ability in track earned him a scholarship, and he would later compete on the Air Force track team, specializing in the high jump. 

He graduated from high school in Cheney, Kansas and that year, his family moved back to Texas where his father was the Methodist minister in Three Rivers and then Burnet. After graduation he joined the Air Force.

He served as a mechanic on B52 bombers and later became a flight engineer on C133s. Before he was married he was stationed in Alaska. He met his future wife, Mary Lee Marx, when she was a student at Burnet High School in Burnet, Texas. His father was the Methodist minister in Burnet at the time. They married March 12, 1955. He trained at Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was stationed at Dover Air Force Base, where he remained for the rest of his career until he retired as a Chief Master Sergeant in 1970.

He and Mary Lee had four children, Teresa Kay, Charles Wayne, Tonja Diane, and Shelby Marx, raising them in Delaware and then Texas.

While in the Air Force, and after, he and Mary Lee owned several antique businesses. After retiring from the Air Force, the family moved to Bertram, Texas and finally settled in Burnet. He worked as a carpet and flooring installer for Fashion Floors, a company in Austin, becoming a salesman there, and in a couple years he opened his own carpet and flooring store in Burnet. Mary Lee became a registered interior designer and a talented, self-taught architect.  Through their business, San Gabriel Custom Homes, they designed and contructed many homes and several churches in Central Texas, including the Burnet United Methodist church,  as well as running their home decor business, Interior Reflections. They also had antique stores in Burnet.

Chuck was a dedicated Christian. Mary Lee and he were known among friends and family for their generosity and hospitality, often opening their home for gatherings. He was a good provider for his family. 

Chuck retired only when he was physically unable to work, in his mid-80s. At Mary Lee’s death in 2020, they had been married 65 years. He remained at home until October 2022 when dementia and lack of mobility necessitated that he move into skilled care, where he lived until his death. 

He leaves behind his four children: Teresa Tucker; Chuck Nyquist and his wife, Tania; Tonja Gilmore and husband, Henry; Shelby Nyquist and wife, Angie. Grandchildren: Nathaniel Tucker and wife, Shanna; Joel Tucker and wife, Christina; Leah Anderson and husband, Eric;  Julia Konys and husband, Zak. Natalie Dudley; Lindsey Figueroa and husband, Nelson; Trent Bishop, and wife, Anne; Keith Ross and wife, Megan; Jenna Neal and husband, Eddie; Logan Nyquist and wife, Raven; Sommer Torres and husband, Joel. 

Chuck also has 27 great grandchildren and 9 great-great grandchildren.

a graveside service is planned for 11:00 a.m., Monday, February 26, 2024 at Burnet City Cemetery, with Pastor Logan Nyquist officiating.

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