I met Charlene through Family Search in March 2020 when we discovered we were second cousins. Our respective grandparents were brother and sister, Charles Hill and Vivian Hill Holderman. We both had paintings by Charles that had been handed down by our mothers. We both were very familiar with the Holderman residence at 18 Elgin in Alhambra and shared memories going back to the 1940's and 1950's. I never met Charlene personally but she came across as warm and caring in her messages. I last heard from her in Dec 2021 when she mentioned that she was almost done with chemo and that she thought they had taken care of the cancer. When I didn't hear back from her regarding a recent email I sent her I checked her Facebook page and discovered she had died. I'm so sorry for your loss. I was looking forward to meeting her one day but knowing we're both in our 80's I knew it had to be sooner than later. I regret that I will never meet her on this earth. Please know that I share in your grief. Vaughn C Leath

Jackie, thank you so much for sharing for yourself and for Sylvia. We will treasure the memories. And I'm sure Charlene will look down from Heaven and appreciate the tree in her honor. She loved her garden and their trees.

Thank you for sharing your memory. It was my privilege to be her daughter-in-law. We were very close.

Thank you for sharing your memory. We love you both too!

Thank you both so much. Yes, there are so many special memories.

Thank ❤️ you for sharing

Thank ❤️ you for sharing

As you grieve know that I will always remember you...your mom was an incredibly woman and very dear friend.

This is on behalf of Sylvia Stephens.... Hey Charlene, I’m waiting for your phone call! It’s almost 5:30. I don’t know how we could get on so many subjects in such a short time. You checked up on me every night, even when I moved to Texas. We had this little game on the phone on who could say first “I love you”. Remember the garden we planted on the flat top? We didn’t have room for one more thing. We took turns watering and Kenny rigged up a hose from your house to the garden. Did we reap what we had sown? I can’t remember. What wonderful neighbors you were. You and Kenny were always there when we needed you. I Remember when you and Kenny came in the middle of the night many times to pick Dick up off the floor when he was very ill. You were the first one I called when Dick passed away. You came down and sat with me most of the night. We had 25 years of many memorable times. I will miss you and you will not be forgotten. You were my bestest friend. Wish I could be there but you know I can’t travel by myself anymore. So Charlene, “I love you”.

I was, without a doubt, truly blessed the day I met Charlene Stillman Gates. That was almost 70 years ago, when we had just entered 7th grade in September of 1954. We quickly became fast friends because she was so easy to get to know – and it wasn’t long before we spent many after school hours and/or weekends together at her house or mine. While in Junior High we compared our grades to see who got the most “A”s (though they used “E”s rather than A’s). Sometimes it was her, other times it was me – but we were always happy for one another. In the summer, you could often find us at the big public pool at Centinela Park. We loved that place! In high school, Char was an outstanding athlete – and I was sadly lacking in that area. But she would still choose me to be on her team whenever she could. And on Fridays, you would find us at “the rec” (recreation center) on Friday nights where our high school dances were held – often to the music of live bands! We grew together from young girls to young women – and as we grew and matured, we shared all our problems and insecurities – both small and large. We mostly lost touch as we married and raised our families – but in 2002, when we were 60! - we re-connected – and it was like that lost time evaporated. It didn’t take us all that long to cover those “lost” years. When my husband and I moved from California to Missouri in 2004, she and I started communicating by email. And often! It wasn’t long before we were writing in the morning and again in the evening. And our husbands also became good friends – with great mutual respect. And we got together every year when my hubby and I would come to California to visit family…..because Charlene and Kenny were also family. It’s not everyone who has the great fortune to have the kind of friend with whom they can share pretty much everything that is important to them - good, bad or indifferent - without fear of being judged. Sometimes, just spending time with your best friend is all the therapy you need. We enjoyed that kind of friendship. I know she is in a much better place now and I’m truly happy she is no longer suffering, but her departure from this earth has left a void in my life that can never truly be filled. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.”