Charles Rutherford Meeker III

June 17, 1942 - February 18, 2021 Last week Charlie Meeker passed away after 78 unparalleled years. He leaves behind his wife Molly, his children Kelly and Lucas, and grandchildren Canyon, Madison, Delaney, and Kai. He was preceded in death by his parents Doris and Charles, his brother Michael, and his daughters Michelle and Melissa. After graduating from Princeton University and University of Texas Law School, Charlie moved to Los Angeles to clerk for Judge Walter Ely. He joined O'Melveny & Myers and rose to partner working in the business and later the entertainment divisions. In the 1980's, he co-founded Feldman/Meeker Entertainment and produced major motion pictures for nearly a decade (his favorites were The Hitcher, Near Dark, Golden Child, and Hot Dog: The Movie!). He returned to entertainment law as a partner at White & Case, where he successfully represented Credit Lyonnais in their effort to regain control of Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Charlie then served as MGM's President from 1991-93. Through many of these accomplishments, Charlie was splitting time between his career in Los Angeles and the winery he co-founded with his wife Molly in Dry Creek Valley. They ended their dual life and moved to Sonoma County full-time in 1999.The winery, its team, and community will miss Charlie dearly; but his winemaking ethos lives on at Meeker and with the winemakers he helped, inspired, and shared with along the way. His tireless drive to experiment, refine, improve, and explore yielded over 30 vintages of wines that tell a story of eternal optimism, boundless curiosity, and chasing greatness. He loved making wine and he loved sharing it. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Charlie's honor to the Redwood Empire Food Bank or to the The Black Winemakers Scholarship Fund at the United Negro College Fund.