Charles "Chuck" Lerman

In his 65 years, Charles Lerman was a dynamic, loving man of great passion and initiative, and a friend to so many.

Chuck had a strong sense of community. As a young father he showed individual acts of kindness to his three sons. They recall his putting together individual meals to hand out to homeless people in downtown San Diego. He would visit the elderly in a nursing home with a group that sang songs of healing to people who had no one to visit them.

Later in life, facing hard times of his own, Charles spent years volunteering time with hospice patients, comforting them in their final hours, and continuing to be of service in both big and small ways.

His care for people suffering loss was what brought Charles into the orbit of his first wife Lila, whom he brought flowers after the tragic death of her high school sweetheart. Formerly friends, the two connected, and young Chuck took Lila on the first of many cross-country road trips around 1980 -- destination San Diego.

The two made up their minds to move to the west coast and went home to marry and moved soon after. Their marriage later ended in divorce but not regret as they shared a bond over three children, Mike (now 40), Kevin (now 36), and Steven (now 31), and now four grandchildren, Nathan, Avrie, Julian, and Ellorie.

Once in San Diego Chuck borrowed money to purchase a bottled water delivery franchise and spent twenty years delivering water to hundreds of customers he knew by name and kept track of on paper cards held in two-ring binders. These binders, a truck, and an adding machine were only half the story. The other half was kindness and chutzpah. Customers would use Charles as a shoulder to cry; elderly grandmothers would have him change light bulbs; he would talk to everyone and anyone.

But when he wasn't talking, he moved at light speed to get his route done to be there for people close to him and pursue other dreams and commitments to family and the community.

Having always dreamed of flying airplanes, Charles studied for his private pilot license and excelled to numerous advanced ratings and over 1500 flight hours.

Later, as he proudly told anyone who would listen, Charles left his water franchise and worked in the aviation business, selling shares of small plane ownership and business jets.

Charles was also a lifelong spiritual seeker. As a young man, he built a foundation of individual growth though 12-step programs, and later studied to become a New Thought minister, focused on the power of positive thinking and affirmation. That search led him to Nancy, his second wife and partner. Married in 1997, the two managed a flying club together, worked together in Charles' aviation endeavors and tried their hand investing in real estate.

Though Charles and Nancy later divorced, the two remained close through the years and had joined in partnership and close friendship once again in recent years.

Throughout his life, Charles sought awareness in nature, walking, hiking, and by spending time near the ocean. Everyone close to Charles has hiked with him to waterfalls where he would sit as close as he could to the falling water, or beneath it, close his eyes and meditate.

Though mostly a non-denomination seeker, Charles, who was born and raised Jewish, grew closer to that faith in his 50s, traveling to Israel for several months and training to read Torah portions and participating in regular services.

A large six-foot-three-inch man, Charles was a teddy bear, crying readily during sad parts of movies, and during moving speeches or spiritual messages.

Aware of his many faults, Charles never gave up trying to better himself. Charles was a great driver and a poor passenger. He was a lover of desserts and a loyal restaurant patron, spending decades frequenting restaurants like Perry's Cafe, the Pancake House, and the Spot.

Charles had so many friends, fans and allies that it would be impossible to list, and there are surely folks who know yet further dimensions of Charles that are not elaborated here.

There are so many lessons we all can learn from Charles. The world is full of beautiful and interesting people--be friendly. You're never too old to change bad emotional habits. Life is too short to skip dessert. Always let people know you love them.

Join us in celebrating this man's beautiful life on Sunday, August 29th, 2021 at 10am at Kate Sessions Park: 5115 Soledad Rd, San Diego, CA 92109. Vaccinated friends and family are welcome and we invite you to please bring something comfortable to sit on while we enjoy stories. Look for baloons to find us.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking to make donations in Charles’ name to:

tinyurl.com/4j2venrz HEARTLAND HOUSE

https://tinyurl.com/sjt83x SD JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES