Charlie Siebert

1965 - 2021

Charlie Siebert
January 11, 1965 - December 20, 2020
Charlie Siebert passed away at his home in San Francisco on December 20, 2020

Charles Andrew Siebert was born in New York City to Catherine Kilzer Siebert and Charles Siebert and lived in Manhattan, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, and Pacific Palisades, CA, attending junior high school at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica followed by Palisades Charter High School. He then attended UC Santa Cruz and graduated from UC Davis. He spent his junior college year in Barcelona, Spain, and travelled throughout Europe for a year before returning to the U.S. Aside from a period of time working and living in China his home was ever after in San Francisco. Until college Charlie was known as Andy Siebert but decided in his adulthood to use his first name, from then on being known as Charlie.

Charlie was a bright spirit with a great and extravagant sense of humor who always lit up a room and enlivened all family events.

He had a particular love for words and a talent for languages being fluent in Spanish and capable in French and Mandarin Chinese. His travels only enhanced his fierce sense of justice and disdain for intolerance. He was a staunch defender of human rights and often put himself in harm's way in order to right a perceived injustice. He was, by the way, very happy over the results of our recent election.

A brilliant Bay Area musician, Charlie was the rhythm guitarist, for many years, with Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers along with his brother, pianist Chris Siebert. With the band, an area fixture for over thirty years, he travelled to almost every state in the union as well as to Canada and Mexico.

In 2004 his interest in other cultures impelled him to decide on a new life and he left for China where he would teach English at the Shandong School of Hospitality in Jinan and subsequently in Linyi. During his nine years in China he made many dear friends with whom he maintained contact for the rest of his life. His family joyously received him when, in 2013 he returned to America.

Back in San Francisco Charlie became a beloved member of the Royal Cuckoo family in the Mission District playing at the Cuckoo bar and working for several years at the Cuckoo store where he made more long lasting friends and became something of a draw in his own right helping to establish the store as a valued community asset.

In spite of being a devoted gourmand he always kept his trim athletic figure but learned to appreciate the cuisine of many countries most especially that of China, becoming a talented cook of Chinese food. Along with his appreciation of food he enjoyed gardening, producing some of what he then used in his expert dishes. He had an inordinate love of, and became something of an expert in, BBC Radio Comedy and recorded many hundreds of hours of programming

Charlie is survived by his father, Charles Siebert, siblings Chris Siebert of San Francisco, and Gillian Bozanic of Niwot, CO as well as his step-mom, Kristine Leroux Siebert and step siblings, Max Leroux, Jeremy Leroux, Kristina Harvey, sister-in-law Jill Miller, and uncles Ron, Len, & Jack Siebert. He also leaves behind dozens of nieces, nephews, and cousins, all of whom remember him with deep and abiding affection.

There will never be another quite like him and he leaves an empty space in our hearts which can never be filled. A post-pandemic memorial is planned, details to be announced later

From childhood Charlie was fascinated with birds and enjoyed watching them in all the towns, states, and countries in which he travelled and lived. If you wish to honor his memory with a small donation please go to the Audubon Society's web site at https://www.audubon.org/