Charlotte Ann Fleisher

Charlotte Ann Fleisher was born in Albuquerque NM on April 3rd, 1932 to James P. and Charlotte Ann Threlkeld. Charlotte’s mother took care of Charlotte and Charlotte’s sister Janet while their father travelled New Mexico selling books.

Her father later started the New Mexico Bookstore in 1940, the only bookstore in NM at the time. Charlotte acquired her life-long love of books from her father, and she was always an avid reader. Charlotte also enjoyed singing in the church choir, and thus began her love of music which she passed on to all three of her children.At age 12 Charlotte was challenged by thyroid cancer, but eventually was cured.

Charlotte attended local schools, and she treasured her years at Albuquerque High School. Upon graduating from high school, she elected to go to Scripps College for Women in September of 1950. There she met the love of her life, Robert Fleisher, a senior at Pomona College. Shortly before Robert left for the Korean War, Charlotte and Robert married in March of 1952.

In September of 1953 and upon Robert’s return from Korea ,they both entered Stanford University. A biology major, Charlotte also took part in Stanford musical theater, graduating Stanford in 1955, after which both she and Bob returned to Albuquerque to start their family.

Charlotte always wanted to return to California, which she and her family ultimately did in 1963, settling in Goleta. The next few years saw Charlotte cherishing her role as mother and homemaker, frequenting the local beaches with family and friends and continuing to express her musical side through participation in local theater productions.

In 1973, she furthered her education at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and obtained her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family counseling. She then spent three years working as a counselor for Planned Parenthood. She followed this with three years at Sanctuary House, a treatment facility and halfway house for people recovering from mental illness. A new endeavor without adequate funding, she also managed its day to day financial affairs. While the position was challenging, she relished the opportunity to work closely with the residents while also ensuring the facility’s financial health and viability. After Sanctuary House, Charlotte continued her counseling career working from both home and office with private clients..

Charlotte and Robert loved to travel both before and after retirement, and over the years they went on many trips to both the European continent and Great Britain. She especially delighted in the art galleries of London, Paris, and Amsterdam.

She is survived by her loving husband Robert James Fleisher and their two sons, Robert Fleisher Jr. and John Lisle (Lyle) Fleisher of Goleta, John’s partner Alma Guss of Santa Barbara, Charlotte’s daughter Kathleen Hansel and her husband Bruce Hansel of Grant’s Pass, Oregon; her grandchildren Natasha Maria Fleisher and Ian Santiago Fleisher and their mother Lourdes Fleisher; her beloved niece Linda Socha of Albuquerque and her husband Gary Socha, and their daughter, Maria Socha.

Charlotte is also survived by her dear friends Jill Bitterman, Margaret Bluett, and many others.