Carol Chiles Ballard, of Houston, Texas, died peacefully on Sunday, the 16th of November 2025, at home surrounded by her family, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. She was born in Seagraves, Texas, on the 28th of March 1940, the daughter of Wilma Klein and Harrell Edmonds “Eddie” Chiles. She was 85 years of age.
Carol’s family moved to Midland in 1948, where she lived an active and full life, beloved by her many friends. She won numerous local art awards and was selected to serve as Art Editor of the Annual during her senior year, graduating from Midland High School in 1958. In 1959, she was a Minuet Club Debutante in Midland and later named the Duchess of the Rose Growers at the Tyler Rose Festival. Carol graduated from Briarcliff College in 1960 and went on to earn a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin in 1963. She continued her studies at the San Francisco Art Institute and attended the University of Texas Law School. In 1964, she relocated to Houston to pursue a career in interior design. She met Andrew Leslie “Les” Ballard at the wedding of a mutual friend, beginning a courtship rooted in their shared life at the Chateau Dijon. They married in Houston in 1969 and welcomed their daughter, Leslie, in 1974. Carol and her family cherished their time spent between Houston, Texas, and Newport, Rhode Island.
Carol’s diverse educational background grounded a life devoted to preservation, philanthropy, and the arts. In Houston, she served as Trustee, Vice President, and former Chairwoman of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and as a Trustee of the Houston Ballet Foundation. She was the founding Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Rienzi Collection and served on the advisory council for The University of Texas College of Fine Arts. Additionally, she was a Trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and a member of The River Oaks Garden Club, The National Society of Colonial Dames of America, and Pi Beta Phi Sorority.
In Newport, Carol served on the Executive Committee for the Preservation Society of Newport County. She was a passionate advocate for historical preservation and land conservation, playing a key role in saving the Isaac Bell House and in preserving land on Aquidneck Island through the creation of the Carol C. Ballard Park and Wildlife Preserve. This seventy-five-acre sanctuary, with its woodlands, salt marshes, and walking trails, stands as one of her most meaningful legacies. Her work and dedication continue to benefit the community and will be carried forward by her family.
Carol was known for her spirited personality, which she inherited from her father, Eddie Chiles. Eddie was widely recognized for his 1970s radio show offering political commentary in support of small businesses and limited government—an effort that inspired the iconic bumper stickers, “I’m mad too, Eddie!” He founded the Western Company, known for slogans such as, “If you don’t have an oil well, get one. You’ll love doing business with Western,” and later owned the Texas Rangers baseball team, which he sold to a group of investors led by George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States.
Carol will be remembered for her kindness, dedication, and welcoming spirit.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Jerry Edmonds Chiles. She is survived by her husband, Les; her daughter, Leslie Ballard Hull, and her husband, Mark; and her granddaughter, Katherine Ballard Hull, whom Carol adored.
The family wishes to thank the River Oaks Doctors Group, Madeline Bunch, Amy Mynderse, and her devoted caregivers, Maria Torres and Adela Diaz, for their exceptional care and support.
A private graveside service will be held at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston.
In lieu of customary remembrances, donations may be made in Carol’s memory to a charity of one’s choice.
Please visit Mrs. Ballard’s online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com, where memories and words of comfort may be shared with her family.
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