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Our cherished husband, father, grandfather, friend and mentor passed from this life on September 10, 2019.
He is survived by his precious wife of 58 years, Kay Harrison; son, Jeff Harrison and his wife, Mary; daughter, Jennifer Bush and her husband, Rick; and grandchildren, Caden Williams, Kennedy Williams, Stephanie Harrison and her husband Jose Reyes. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hugh and Nelly Harrison, and sister, Margaret Russell.
Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Chuck graduated with degrees in Management and Accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma (formerly known as Central State) in 1964. He went on to attend Law School at Oklahoma City University from 1965 to 1967, finishing with 40+ hours towards a Law Degree, a huge accomplishment that provided him with knowledge that he would later pour into Sonic.
Chuck had an incredibly successful career that started out with working a handful of jobs while in college, including running a paper route for the Daily Oklahoman. He served in the Army National Guard for six months, and in 1962, Chuck went on to work for Little Jim’s supermarkets and convenience stores for 13 years, where he started out as an Accountant and worked his way up to Supervisor and later General Manager. Then came along his neighbor, Ralph Mason, who would become a lifelong friend and business partner. In 1976, along with Gary Jarrard, they founded Sonic’s largest franchisee group, which began as Mason-Harrison-Jarrard and is now Mason-Harrison-Ratliff.
Chuck was so passionate about Sonic that he earned the nickname “Mr. Sonic”, and in 1996, he was recognized with the distinguished Troy Smith Award for his tremendous contribution to the Sonic business and for embodying what the brand represents.
In addition to his career achievements, Chuck served on several boards, including: New Church, Oklahoma City, BancFirst, Sonic Franchisee Advisory Board (serving as chairman for 27 years), Sonic Franchisee Association Board, Manhattan Christian College, and EQUIP (a John Maxwell Company).
Chuck’s positive impact on others was far-reaching through the many organizations that he supported, such as Cross & Crown Mission, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Campus Crusade, and EQUIP Christian leadership missions in Uganda and Peru, just to name a few. He also highly valued education, helping an infinite number of people attend college, and was also enormously supportive of aspiring pastors and new churches.
Chuck always put Jesus first in his life, followed by family and work, and encouraged his loved ones to do the same. He had the ability to light up a room like no one else and never missed an opportunity to tell people that he loved them.
We will always remember him for his unwavering love for family, friends and Sonic; his encouraging letters; the untold number of leadership books that he shared; his example of generosity; and the countless lives that he shaped through Jesus and Sonic. Not to be forgotten were his loves for the Oklahoma Sooners, basketball, biscuits and gravy, Oklahoma City, syrup, hymns, his weenie dogs, and Blue Bell ice cream.
We will miss him tremendously, but we find joy and peace knowing that he is in the arms of Jesus. We will continue to honor him and God by making a positive impact in the lives of others on a daily basis.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be given to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org
The Celebration of Chucks's life will be held on Tuesday, September 17, at 1:00 pm at New Church (9201 N. Rockwell Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73132) with a reception to follow.
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