Chuck Myer, who shaped and celebrated life in Northern
California communities as an urban planner, activist and prolific
writer, died recently at 54.
Chuck Myer, who shaped and celebrated life in Northern California communities as an urban planner, activist and prolific writer, died recently at 54.
He died after a three-year battle with cancer that he chronicled in “Melanoma Melodrama,” a memoir published last year, said his wife, the Rev. Becky Goodwin.
Mr. Myer was a senior planner during 15 years in the Gilroy Planning Department. After his wife was ordained a Methodist minister, he quit his job in 1994 to move and stay at home with their two young children. Five years later, they relocated to her assignment at Rancho Cordova United Methodist Church.
He remained active as a planning consultant for the cities of Colfax and Wheatland. He joined the drive for Rancho Cordova incorporation and penned a clever campaign song, “On the Rancho,” which he sang at rallies and celebrations after voters approved incorporation in 2002.
Myer was a witty and gregarious man who enjoyed chatting with people on the street. He freelanced as a columnist for several publications, including the Gilroy Dispatch, The Bee and Arden-Carmichael News.
Charles Bernard Myer was born in 1954 while his parents were living in Puerto Rico. Reared in El Cerrito, he earned a bachelor’s degree in planning from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He married his wife, a former teacher, in 1985. He supported his wife’s ministry and was active in the Methodist Church. He belonged to a Methodist acting troupe and played guitar in a church band. He served the last 12 years as executive director of the United Methodist Retired Clergy Association.
“He kept track of people, sent birthday cards, anniversary cards and called when they were sick,” said the Rev. Don Fado, who retired from St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Sacramento.
“Sometimes people who retire feel forgotten, but Chuck reached out to them. He was a warm, loving person.”
Copyright, The Sacramento Bee, 2008
