On October 29, 2022, in her cozy space in Victoria’s Glenwarren Lodge, Charlotte passed peacefully and danced into the arms of the love of her life, her husband Karl, at 93 years young. Her beloved son Peter was by her side. She joins so many dear friends and family who have already embarked on this journey.
Charlotte was a woman who inspired many with her gentleness, her intelligence, love of learning, music, and languages, of food and sharing meals, and of bringing simple elegance and grace to everything. Her love of books and reading is woven into the tapestry of the lives of all she knew. It was a great joy to her grandchildren when they would be gifted with a book from Grandma, always perfectly suited for them. Charlotte’s strong belief in the importance of reading and stories is perhaps best summed up by this quote she shared with her daughters - “if you begin by enticing them into the world of imagination, the benefit is you have thinkers and dreamers, that’s good for everyone.”
Charlotte was born on December 14th, 1928 in Havana, Cuba, to Helen and Hugh Chisholm. Together with her beloved younger sister Mariel, the girls spent their early years being tutored at the CharMar school, in Havana, a school named after the sisters and founded by their mother Helen. Their shared love of music was cultivated during that time, a place each turned to for peace, light, enjoyment, and community.
It was in Cuba that Charlotte began her life-long tradition of swimming in all the bodies of water she and Mariel possibly could, including the cold Telegraph Bay in the area of Victoria where their parents retired, and off the dock at Kootenay Lake where Charlotte’s dear Fruitvale friends, the Mackays and Bacons retired.
As a young teenager, Charlotte moved to Toronto to complete her education in her parents’ home country of Canada. It was during these years, first at Bishop Strachan School (1942-47) and later at Trinity College, University of Toronto (1948-51), that she added to her life-long loves of music, reading, and learning, the new joys of Autumn, Winter, snow and skiing, and the sciences. Charlotte also completed her teacher’s training at the University of British Columbia, graduating in 1952. She then accepted a Home Economics teaching position with the Trail-Rossland school district, travelling by train to this area in the West Kootenays of B.C.
Karl Monk, the handsome young Danish man Charlotte took on as a student to teach English to, became her dance partner in life. Their marriage, August 22, 1953, was the official launch to their husband and wife journey that enriched the lives of many in the little community of Fruitvale. Karl and Charlotte were recognized in 1982 with the Beaver Valley Citizen of the Year Award, a great honour for them. Some of their many community efforts included running a gymnastics club, organizing the Rotary Ball, and helping build the Beaver Valley Ski Hill. Charlotte ran a Kindergarten school while her daughters were young, taught swimming, coached the ski team, organized the annual Hallowe’en Pennies for Unicef for the community, and played organ for the Fruitvale Lutheran Church. Many in the family and broader community were recipients of her seamstress talents. We were gifted with skating, dance and dress-up costumes, outfits for special events (confirmation, graduations, weddings), ski outfits and more, lovingly crafted by Charlotte and permeated with her creativity and eye for design, colour and beautiful fabrics.
Retirement to Victoria in 1991 enabled Charlotte to delight in live opera, theatre, art galleries, museums, and renew old friendships. Ever a partnership of givers, Karl and Charlotte became members and active contributors to the Peace Lutheran Church in Sidney; Karl helping to build the new church, Charlotte contributing through her music, leading the congregation in song for many years as one of the organists. They continued the tradition started in their early years of marriage of celebrating family, friends, Karl’s Danish heritage, and special events with a smorgasbord, an event filled with rich food, laughter, stories of gratitude and song.
Although dementia robbed Charlotte of so much in her later years, she continued to bless all those who cared for her with her gentleness, her inner peace, and her loves of music, colour, textures and the written word.
Charlotte was predeceased by her husband Karl and her sister Mariel. She leaves her loving children: Marie (Frank) Ehrenreich, Suzanne (Gerrit) Galesloot, Peter (Elizabeth) Monk; her Grandchildren: Erin, Gerrit (Jr), David, Matthew, Thomas, Juliana; Great-granddaughter Leni; and Mariel’s children (John, Daniel and Christina) and grandchildren. The family extends their gratitude to the team at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Long-Term Care and Glenwarren Lodge who provided loving and compassionate care during the last years of her life.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 3rd at 2pm at Peace Lutheran Church, 2295 Weiler Ave., Sidney, BC, V8L 1R9. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice.
Online condolences to the family may be made at: www.dignitymemorial.com
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