Charles Ephraim French

Date of Birth

October 30, 1943

Date of Death

January 26, 2023

City of Death

Santa Barbara

After a life filled with love and adventure, Charles Ephraim French passed away on January 26 as he lived, with dignity and grace.

Ephraim was born on October 30, 1943 and grew up in Palo Alto. Santa Barbara became the hub of his life when he and his family settled here in the 1970s. Ephraim worked for almost 20 years as a Montessori Center School teacher before moving with his family to Uzbekistan, Benin, and Atlanta. He eventually returned to Santa Barbara, where he lived for the last several years.

Ephraim was as loving and generous to strangers and new acquaintances as he was to his many friends and loved ones. He shared his love of music, photography, books, nature, and good food with everyone he met. He was a true investigator of life, and retained his boundless curiosity about people and the world throughout his days.

Ephraim is survived by his three daughters Jhala, Juniper, and Emma; his sweetheart Marilee; his former wife Christiane; his former partner Mary; his devoted sister Helena and brother-in law Bert; his nieces and nephews Jeffrey, Julia, Heather, Odessa, Cassandra and Eli; four remarkable grandchildren Rachna, Saavan, Rowan and Fin; and two great-grandchildren Azalea and Aiyana.

A celebration of Ephraim’s life will be held from 1-5pm on March 18th at the Apiary in Carpentaria. Please check Ephraim’s Facebook page for more details as we get closer to the date. All of his friends and family are invited to come sing a song and share a memory.

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