Charlie Lopez, of Weatherford, has four daughters and considers being their dad and a grandpa to his granddaughter his greatest joy in life.
Lopez formerly was the Weatherford High School girls soccer coach. He loves sharing his passion for soccer with his daughters. He retired from the position a few years ago to continue watching his daughters play, as their dad, not their coach.
Lopez said he loves being able to share his love of soccer with his daughters. He said taking them to soccer tournaments and coaching them has given him a special bond with each of them. Lopez also was a father figure to all of the
Lopez also was a father figure to all of the girls he coached in soccer throughout the years. He always pushed them to be the best they could be and made sure each of them were taken care of.
Lopez’ oldest daughter, Maria is 21 years old. He has two twin daughters, Mia and Paulina, 17, and his youngest daughter, Ludivika, is 13 years old. He is married to Rosa Ochoa. He also has a granddaughter, Oaklynn, who is 8 months old.
Lopez said having a granddaughter changes everything for him. He has learned to be more patient because of his granddaughter.
He said, “Having a granddaughter is probably the greatest reward someone can have.”
Lopez said he has tried his best to instill a good work ethic in his girls in soccer and life in general. He said he wants to set them up for success and teach them how to earn the things they want in life.
“Nothing in life is given,” Lopez said. Lopez said soccer is his passion, but carpentry is his trade. He learned how to do carpentry from his dad. He now owns two businesses — Cruz and Lopez Construction/ Management and Window Affairs, a shutter and cabinetry business.
He said, while his daughters have not followed the same construction path as he did, they have watched him work hard to provide for his family and he believes they will carry that work ethic into their own lives as well.
Lopez and his family love to travel. They moved to Weatherford from North Carolina when his daughters were young. He said he has several sisters stationed in the military North Carolina, and they try to go visit them at least once a year.
One of their favorite places to visit in North Carolina is Sea World. Lopez said he thinks he enjoys it more and more as he gets older.