Charles Merriam

1945 - 2021

Charles Merriam
September 26, 1945 - September 14, 2021
Lincoln, California - Charles Merriam (Chaz, Charlie), 75, passed away unexpectedly Sept 14, 2021 after a fire in his home. Born Sept 26, 1945 in LosAngeles, his family moved to Sacramento in 1955 and he graduated from Highlands High School in 1963. He attended American River College where he formed his first professional singing group. He is survived by his sisters Donna Danielson (Jerry) and Sandi Meyer, his son Steven Wheat (Luci), grandsons Jacob Wheat and Spencer Wheat, his niece Stacey Torres (Dante), nephew Russell Meyer (Stephanie) and former wife and singing partner, Kathryn Ward Laurence (Ron). He was preceded in death by his older brother Russell Merriam Jr, father Russell Merriam Sr, mother Margaret White, and his cherished wife of 25 years Ellen Goldberg, who died in 2003, taking Charlie's heart with her. Chaz then moved to Lincoln, where he was blessed to have a dear friend and neighbor, Manuel Sarriah, who was a great support in his life until the end. Chaz was a musical genius, spending nearly six decades in the music industry as a singer, composer, arranger and musician. His gigs included playing in the 60's with his group "The Picardy Three" at the Purple Onion in San Francisco, arranging and recording albums at ABC/Dunhill in LA, touring with his groups "Punch" and "Sonoma" in the 70's, performing in the 80's and 90's on tour with Tony Orlando, at Todd's in Woodland Hills with his group "Charleston" and in most recent years with his group "Chazman and Co" (including sister Donna) in the Sacramento area. Charles will remain in our hearts forever. His sense of humor, talent, humility, and magnetism were extraordinary. He left us with a lifetime of music and memories. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, January 15, 2022 from 12:30-3:30pm at the Lincoln Crossing Community Assoc club house at 830 Groveland Lane in Lincoln, CA 95648.