Charlie Hibbard
When Charlie Hibbard of Marble City met his wife, Tamara, in 2001, the native Californian, said it did not take long to figure out what his life would be like if the two were married.
When Charlie Hibbard of Marble City met his wife, Tamara, in 2001, the native Californian, said it did not take long to figure out what his life would be like if the two were married.
Hibbard, 72, a retired general contractor, said the two met in Arkansas where he was living at the time and was working on a construction project.
“I asked her out and during our conversations, I learned she was serving as mayor for Marble City,” Hibbard said.
Now that the two have been married for 20 plus years, Hibbard, who has had experience in remodeling commercial, residential and industrial work, oversees many of the projects for the town particularly the sewer improvement project, he said.
“We’ve been through several phases of replacing the current system. Hopefully it will all be completed by Nov. 1,” Hibbard said. Once completed, Hibbard said the new system will serve residents who live in the bottom portion of the town. The town currently has a population of 200.
Other projects Hibbard has been involved in include the Marble City Community Center which is expected to be complete in the spring of next year, also current work to redo the roof to the bank is underway, the Farmer’s Market “Paint the Town” project is also in the works, and the stormwater runoff project is also in process.
“I don’t actually do any hands on work on any of the projects but if they need something from the town, I help with that and also anything else that might need to be done. Wednesday, we had several trucks coming in with loads of material and we were directing traffic,” Hibbard said.
In addition to helping with projects, Hibbard also serves on the town council and spends most of his time working from 8:30 in the morning until 6 p.m. on anything which is needed to be done, he said.
Hibbard and his wife have five children together and six grandchildren. When he finds time, he said he plans to devote to his woodwork and build furniture.
“It’s something I really want to do but right now I’m busy with the projects and don’t have the time for it,” he said. The couple, does however, plan to take some time off and attend the Cherokee National Holiday this weekend held annually in Tahlequah.
Hibbard said he was born and raised in California. At the age of 35, he moved to Siloam Springs, Ark., to work because the economy did not “fluctuate” there as much as in California and seemed to be more steady. He said the environment there also seemed to be more agreeable with his construction business.
After meeting his soon-to-be wife, he would spend some time in Marble City and knew it would soon become his home.
“She loves this town. I can see why. I’ve come to love it, too,” he said. “I enjoy the slower pace of life and the people are friendly here. There’s a lot of changes, good changes taking place here. It would be good to see things progress faster but we’re getting there.”
“I tell everyone when my time comes to leave this world, I plan to be buried in the Marble City Cemetery because this is my home now.
“For now, I guess I retired to go to work!” he said, with a laugh.
Just Folks is Your TIMES way of honoring the regular people of Sequoyah County, recognizing their unique talents, personalities, jobs, abilities, etc. Your TIMES appreciates the cooperation of each Just Folks and the public’s nominations for this feature. If you know of someone you think might be a good story, contact Amie or Lynn at 918-775-4433.
