By JACQI LEYVA-HILL
Special to the NEWS
The San Benito community is remembering Charles Rollan Wilson, a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer, business owner, and civic leader whose decades of service left a lasting mark on the area, especially in the Resaca City, where he and his wife, Bertha, resided for decades.
Charlie, as he was best known, passed away on April 7 at the age of 97.
Born in Edinburg and raised in North Texas, Wilson returned to the Rio Grande Valley more than five decades ago and made San Benito his home for the past 56 years.
At 17, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard, where he built a distinguished 26-year career across Texas, Alaska, Boston, and beyond. He rose from seaman recruit to Lieutenant Commander—an achievement his family said he was especially proud of.
“Pop loved the Coast Guard, the City of San Benito, and Rotary,” said his daughter, Cynthia Cook.
After retiring from the military, Charlie and Bertha became well-known community figures as owners of Wilson Skate Center on Stenger Road.
For 26 years, the rink served as a gathering place for generations of local families.
“Many kids and families remember the fun times they had meeting their friends and skating on Friday and Saturday nights,” Cook said. The rink was reported to have hosted country music legend Johnny Cash in the 1950s.
Beyond business, Wilson was deeply involved in civic life. He served as president of the San Benito Rotary Club and later as South Texas District Governor, a role his family described as a highlight of his life.
He also contributed to projects such as the San Benito Veterans War Memorial, encouraging others to give and leaving a lasting tribute alongside his wife.
To his family, however, Wilson’s legacy extended far beyond his public achievements.
“My dad always wanted to do what was fair and right,” Cook said. “He became a very loving and caring person as he aged, especially after the grandchildren arrived.”
In his later years, Wilson remained active and independent, living with family and sharing daily meals and routines until just days before his death.
“Whether you called him ‘Charlie,’ ‘Rollan,’ or ‘Pop,’ my dad was the greatest man I’ve ever known,” said his son, Walter Wilson, at the graveside service.
Bertha passed away in 2018, but while she was alive, the Wilsons were also known for their commitment to the San Benito Chamber of Commerce, where they long helmed the popular Home and Business of the Month contest, honoring home and business owners for their stewardship.
Fittingly, both Charlie and Bertha were inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Walk of Fame’s Class of 2013 at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo.
“It was nice,” Charlie told the NEWS after receiving word of their induction in 2013. “We felt honored to be chosen for that. We are honored, and we didn’t expect it.”
“I was really pleased and surprised,” Bertha said in 2013. “I thought it was quite an honor. We had our family there, which I thought was quite nice. The mayor and his wife were there. There were a lot of people; I never expected so many.”
The RGV Walk of Fame is celebrated annually during Borderfest. Each year, every city in the Valley nominates an individual (or individuals) for induction. The inductees have their names paved into the RGV Walk of Fame during a formal ceremony at Borderfest.
According to his obituary, Charlie is survived by his sister Gaylan Boren; his children Walter E. Wilson and Cynthia A. Cook, daughter-in-law Laura Z. Wilson, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Preceding him in death were his wife Bertha Emerie (Thumann) Wilson, his parents, Wheelice Perry and Martha Olean (Hart) Wilson; siblings Wheelice Hart Wilson, Valeria Yvonne (Marshall) Wilson, Willis Paul Wilson; son Perry Oscar Wilson, daughters Judy Carroll Wilson and Karen Eileen (Wilson) Moore, and grandson Jason C. Cook.
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