Charles Kahlig

Charles Anthony Raymond Kahlig, 61, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving and devoted family on September 29, 2009. The last six years his life was consumed with fighting the cancer that had invaded his body and that he eventually grew tired of fighting. You can honor the memory of Charles with a contribution in his name to the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org Born to Clements and Hermina Schwertner Kahlig on May 26, 1948, in San Angelo, TX, Charles attended high school at Veribest, TX and graduated from Wall High School in 1966. While employed at SESCO in San Angelo and doing tractor driving, he provided funds to put himself through college at Angelo State University. While attending ASU, Charles was active in the math and physics clubs in which he held offices. Excelling in physics and math provided a background for a new area of job expertise that Dr. David Lloyd at ASU recommended for him to explore. This was a career in medical physics. Charles met this career suggestion with excitement since this would allow him to help others as well as maintain active with his love of physics. After graduating from ASU in May of 1971, Charles and Patricia (Pat) Hoelscher were married on July 3, 1971 in Olfen, TX. By September Charles had been accepted at the University of Texas at MD Anderson in Houston where, for the next 3 ½ years, he was mentored by the head of the Medical Physics Program at M D Anderson, the distinguished Dr. Robert Shalek. Graduating from this program and excited about his new abilities to help and protect cancer patients under treatment, he accepted his first chief medical physics job at Tulsa's Hillcrest Hospital where he was employed for 9 years. During these nine years, Charles studied to become certified in the American Board of Radiology and the American Board of Medical Physics. In 1983 another opportunity presented itself when the Arlington Cancer Center in Arlington, TX recruited Charles to come to the Cancer Center as their chief medical physicist. Charles, always being a true Texan and a frustrated city farmer, he saw this opportunity to return to the state where he "belonged" and much closer to family. Charles moved Pat and his 2 little boys, Bryan and Kevin, to Keller, TX, where he was fortunate to find 5 acres with a nice house for the family and a metal barn/workshop for all his ongoing projects he was known for loving to do. He was also able to have a cow or two with baby calves and his beloved bull, Curley Joe. More neighbors knew Curley Joe than they really knew Charles and the family. Having wonderful neighbors in Keller, a good school system, and a growing Catholic community, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church was founded in Keller and Charles and his family were one family of about 26 families that started the foundation for the now growing SEAS Catholic Church. Charles spent the next 26 years at Arlington Cancer Center, making many friends with employees and patients. It was a long and special relationship that kept him there in Arlington during which he held many positions in the physics organizations in Texas: The Southwest Chapter of the American Association of Physicists and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (the national medical physics organization). Charles has many close colleague friendships due to his travel and association with these organizations - friendships that he held dear to his soul because these friends were true friends in the truest sense. Arlington Cancer Center has an advanced group of physicians who are all on the cutting edge of aggressive cancer treatments for patients. From them Charles learned aggressive treatment plans with a prime concern for safety of the patients and care for their families both physically and mentally. Using his training in medical physics Charles was right there along with these amazing physicians, who challenged each other to the max, all for the benefit of their patients. Charles had an enormous respect for all these physicians that he had the privilege to work with and the nurses who excelled in their care for the patients, especially those throughout Arlington Cancer Center and also those in Arlington Memorial Hospital where Charles had physics procedures to do while assisting the physician. In 2004 Charles was diagnosed with colon cancer that metastasized to the liver. Several major surgeries, many hours of chemo, eventually radiation to the liver, a liver resection, and more chemo did give Charles 6 years of life that he would not have had if he had not aggressively treated his cancer. In May 2009 tumors were found in his lungs. Immediately he was entered into a clinical trial in San Antonio, where he had 2 treatments only before the blood tests showed that the trial treatments were not successful. A second clinical trial was started that was very hard on his body. Traveling to San Antonio 9 weeks straight made him tired and weak from the treatments. After 2 treatments of the second clinical trial, the blood tests showed that there were no benefits from the treatments. He had to recuperate from the serious side effects of the last treatment and was intending to start another chemo the week that he became too weak to continue. A visitation will be held at the Lucas Funeral home in Keller, TX on October 1, 2009 from 6-8 p.m. Friday, October 2, 2009 at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church at 11 am, there will be a Funeral Mass for local friends and family. Monday, October 5, 2009 at 9 am viewing at Saint Boniface Catholic Church in Olfen, TX (where he and Pat were married 38 years ago) will take place with a Holy Rosary to be said at 9:45 am at Saint Boniface with the funeral Mass at 10:00 am. Charles will then be laid to rest at St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery. Charles Anthony Raymond Kahlig is survived by his wife of 38 years, Patricia (Pat) Hoelscher Kahlig, his two sons, Kevin Kahlig, of Keller, and from Plano, TX Bryan Kahlig and his wife, Maria Hitter Kahlig, and Charles' only grandchild, little two year old Molly, who was the apple of Charles' eye! What fun they had when Charles was not hurting!! Molly was so kind and gentle with her grandpa Charles. Next year Charles will have his second grandchild arrives, a little sister.

Charles Kahlig

May 26, 1948 - September 29, 2009