Charles Lee Been, 82, of Howe, OK passed away Sunday,
January 29, 2017 in Heavener, OK. Charlie
was born April 13, 1934 in Midland, AR to Floyd Lee & Evadna June (Miller)
Been. Charles attended school in Hartford, AR and
graduated in 1952. He then attended
barber college in Tulsa, OK. Upon
graduation Charlie came to Poteau, OK and began his career as a barber in 1955;
first working in Roy Green's Barber Shop located on main street next to the Victory
Theater. He soon opened Charlie's Barber
Shop and continued to cut hair, provide shaves, entertain with stories, tell
jokes and always have the coffee pot on
for 61 years. When you entered the door
of the barbershop not only were you assured a great haircut, but more often
than not, one could listen to conversations ranging from the Bible to politics,
hunting to fishing, identifying wildflowers to raising cattle and growing
chickens, as well as everything in between.
Charlie was known to be a great storyteller and loved jokes - loved
telling them and loved hearing them. Let it not go without saying, Charlie did
not shy away from pulling pranks on the
unsuspecting from time to time. Remember
the mannequin Charlie got from the western store he put in the bathroom when
the barbershop was by Firestone Tire Shop?
Charlie was civic-minded and had a vested interest in the
town of Poteau & it's citizens. As a
young man Charlie donated time as a scout leader & was able to take his
group to Philmont in New Mexico. He was
a longtime member of the Poteau Kiwanis Club and always strived for perfect
attendance - which he maintained throughout his active membership - close to 30
years. As a Kiwanis member he
participated often in various club sponsored activities & always with a
smile & his good natured way.
Barber, Storyteller, Lover of Jokes, conversationalist,
friend, father, husband, grandpa & great-grandpa. All of these sum up Charlie Been who is loved
and greatly missed. In his lifetime
Charlie amassed innumerable friendships to whom he was very loyal & held in
high regard. He was preceded in death by
his parents & son, Brett Montgomery.
Charlie is survived by his wife, Joyce of the home; children,
Danny Been of Little Rock, AR, Susie Roper of Barling, AR, Wendy & Kevin
Fry of Mannford, OK; grandchildren, Riley Fry, Peri Fry, Karla Reynolds, Amanda
Angel, Nathan Been & Shelah Lisle; great grandchildren, Kelsey Miles,
Tiffany Davis, Mallory Kinsey, Kyle Crissler, Autumn Been, Emmah Been, Micah
Been; other relatives & loved ones.
Services will be 2 pm, Friday, February 3, 2017 at Evans Chapel of
Memories, Poteau, OK. Interment will
follow in Mount Olive Cemetery, Midland, AR.
The family will be at the funeral home on Thursday evening
from 6-8 pm to visit with relatives & friends.
6 comments:
Charlie was "one of a kind" and will be sorely missed. Anyone who had not been in "Charlie's chair" missed the experience of a lifetime. I was visiting in Poteau a few years ago and needed a trim so I went by Charlie's. We got to reminiscing about old times and acquaintances and I walked out with a "high and tight" trim. The visit was worth it and thank goodness hair does grow out in good time. RIP Charlie!!
It is sad for me to learn of Charlies passing. However, a smile came across my face when I remembered the following Charlie response from a Poteau man that stuck his head in the shop looking for Bob Peters. When the question was asked, “Bob Peters in here?” his response was “No, just shaves and haircuts”. This was sometime in 1958 in the shop next to the Victory Theater. If my dad, Dr. Bucky Gillson , and my brother, John, were still with us, we would be swapping stories and laughing our heads off. Charlie, thank you for the great memories.
Bob Gillson
What a great guy. I always left the shop feeling better than when I went in. We'll miss you, Charlie.
I visited Charlie at his barber shop 2 years ago during our 50th Class Reunion weekend in Poteau. It was great to see him.
If I ever got a start on a sense of humor, it very well may have started while I was the shoe shine boy in Charlie's Barber Shop. I remember, and we talked bout some of the stuff we did in the barber shop that was very, very funny to Charlie and Traywick and me.
I'm so glad I got to see him and say hello. He'll be missed in my life and I'll always remember how much of an influence he had on me when I was 13 and 14 years old in his barber shop.
John David
McLean, VA
jdavid@nab.org
Such a fun loving and funny guy. Worked with him for awhile at post office. He always left you feeling happier and more optimistic about life. RIP Charlie.
Eddie Davis
Wilburton OK
i am so sorry for your loss, Charlie started cutting my hair when i was in high school sometime around 1981 he was up by the old firestone store at that time he remained my my barber for some time i went to western oklahoma for a while to work and at that time i think it was Ray Stevens who came out with a song about getting a hair cut from any other place that wasn't your home barber and i thought that song was correct. i will miss Charlie for as long as i live and think of him every time i sit down in a strangers chair which all of them are because they are not charlie. i will miss the great hair cuts and all of the stories that came with it. thank you you Charlie for being a great barber and a friend whom i will miss.
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