Rescue driver ‘was so loved’

Katy man who died delivering dogs to Colorado is mourned

In his last photo, Charles Roberts is grinning gleefully, surrounded by friends and fellow rescue workers about to set off on a grueling 15-hour journey.

Roberts and his son, Jared, made the long trip every weekend for more than a year, delivering dogs and cats set for euthanasia in Houston north to safety in Colorado.

But in the wee hours of Friday morning, Roberts’ transport van slid into a guardrail along Interstate 25 near Colorado City, then careened into a rock embankment, according to Colorado State Police.

The 59-year-old Katy man died on the Colorado highway in Pueblo county — just two hours from their final destination. His 29-year-old son was also in the van but survived.

All of the 23 dogs in transport survived, but four escaped and have been wandering through the cold Colorado winter for two days.

Now, crews are searching for the skittish pups, and friends and family are mourning the beloved Texas animal rescue driver.

“I am going through moments where I am angry and I am sad and I sort of felt like that part of me has just been taken,” said Roberts’ daughter, Rhiannon Cavanaugh, 37. “My dad, I

don’t think he knew how much people loved him and loved being around him. He was always so full of energy; he would do anything for anybody.”

A retired Wal-Mart automotive center manager, Roberts had four adult children and two grandchildren. He and his wife had lived in the Katy area since 1993.

His lifelong love of animals moved him to start working with the Houston-based Rescued Pets Movement more than a year ago.

“He was a wonderful man, cared a lot about the animals,” said RPM cofounder Laura Carlock.

‘A faithful member’

The organization, founded three years ago, specializes in transporting cats and dogs from BARC Houston to points north, typically Colorado cities like Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Denver.

Every weekend, dedicated drivers like Roberts and his son truck 150 to 200 animals to rescues so they can be re-homed.

“He was a faithful member of our rescue group,” fellow animal lover Mona Cabler told the Chronicle.

The four dogs that fled after the wreck — Kelley, Coco, Powder and Sandy — have been spotted since their escape, but the nearly 100 trackers and rescue workers haven’t been able to get close enough yet.

“As far as we know, they’re still alive,” Carlock said.

It’s unclear what caused Roberts’ van to spin out of control, but state police said there was no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved. The investigation is still ongoing.

The beloved animal rescue driver’s unexpected death has sparked an outpouring of grief online and in the local animal rescue community.

“To say we are griefstricken is an understatement,” RPM posted on Facebook. A slew of Roberts’ friends and fellow volunteer workers responded with messages of support.

“We are devastated and our hearts have been shattered. We are all family, and to lose one of our own is so very painful, especially when our mission is to save lives,” wrote Ashley Glaw, who later described Roberts as “a gift” to Houston’s homeless animals.

“He was so loved,” she said. “We miss him already.”

Memorial planned

A GoFundMe started to support the mourning family received a flurry of donations totaling more than $26,000 by midday Sunday.

Cavanaugh, who currently lives in Maryland, said her family is planning a memorial service in the Houston area, even as they’re struggling to deal with the shock.

“It’s hard to imagine that I can’t call him. Today is the Cowboys game, and every Cowboys game we watched together,” she said through tears. “I don’t think I can watch the game today without him.”