Charlene Oehl

Charlene Marie Oehl, 82, of Shiner, passed away on Monday, August 24, 2026. 
She was born on July 10, 1944, in Ganado, to Joseph and Julie (Supak) Svoboda. 
She attended Assumption Catholic School, Ganado High School, and Wharton County Junior College.  
Then she decided to take classes at the University of Houston for several semesters and worked at Memorial Hermann Hospital as a data entry clerk. It was here in Houston where a sweet and handsome fellow named Marvin Oehl, also from her hometown of Ganado, pursued her and quickly won her heart.
On November 26, 1966, Charlene and Marvin married at Assumption Catholic Parish in Ganado. This November they would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Together, they raised their children, Mark and Kristi, in Alief, a suburb of Houston. Charlene fully embraced her lifelong vocation as wife and mother.  
She loved to sew and crochet, cook meals and paint pictures, plant flowers in her garden, especially roses, and volunteer in her children’s schools. She eventually worked as an educational assistant in elementary and middle school and in the Alief ISD administration building as a data entry clerk.
Charlene and Marvin attended Notre Dame Catholic Church, and St. Justin Martyr Catholic Church where Charlene taught religious education classes, and they both served as head ushers for several years. 
She enjoyed making friends in the neighborhood Gardening Club.  After raising their family, Charlene and Marvin retired to Shiner in 1999, back to the small-town way of life they so loved. Here she joyfully added the title of grandmother to her list of vocations. 
Charlene was a member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas as well as the Altar Society where she served as secretary and president. She joined the Shiner Heritage Quilters, where she made lifelong friends and enjoyed weeklong quilting camps in the summers with her granddaughters.
Charlene loved listening to polka music, especially the Shiner Hobo Band, volunteering at the annual Shiner Picnic, and speaking the Czech language which she learned from her parents and grandparents while growing up. 
Her other favorite pastimes were feeding birds in her backyard, playing bingo, and watching old movies. She likely developed her affinity for watching old movies from her big brother, Alvin Svoboda, who owned the Ganado Theater. 
Charlene will be remembered for her deep love and devotion to Marvin, her family, and especially her Catholic faith.  Her genuine kindness, pure heart, and gentle spirit touched the lives of many and left a lasting impression on all who knew and loved her.  Despite facing medical challenges throughout her life, she always kept a radiant smile.
She is survived by her husband, Marvin Oehl; daughter, Kristi Mishler and husband Dan; and three granddaughters, Emma Mishler, Molly Murphy and husband, Jonathan, and Anna Mishler. 
She was preceded in death by her son, Mark Jay Oehl; daughter-in-law, Celeste Oehl; brother, Alvin Svoboda; and her parents.
A rosary was recited at 9:30 a.m. Monday, August 31, followed by a funeral Mass at 10 a.m. at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church.  
Interment followed at the Shiner Catholic Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church.