Charlotte V. Savidge

April 23, 1926 - April 15, 2020

Charlotte V. Savidge, of St. Helena, died after a long illness in a Fairfield nursing home with her husband of 67 years by her side.

Charlotte was born in Lubbock, Texas, on her parents’ cotton farm and at the age of 13 moved with her mother to Martinez. A graduate of Lodi Academy, she later attended Pacific Union College. In 1950 she was one of eight beauty pageant candidates for queen of the Harvest Days Festival, managed by the St. Helena Junior Women’s Club, and was pictured in The San Francisco Chronicle along with the other contestants riding a cable car.

Charlotte worked for the majority of her life. With an interest in law, she began her career as a legal secretary while living in San Francisco. There she met her future husband, William Savidge. They married in 1952 and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Bill was stationed with the USAF. There Charlotte began a successful real estate career that would span more than six decades and many changes. Charlotte’s first sale in the exclusive Broadmoor Hotel neighborhood was documented on a single piece of paper; her last, a St. Helena condo, required paperwork three inches thick. Despite the changes, real estate remained her passion; she loved helping people find the perfect home.

Beyond her professional career, Charlotte was an Air Force wife for some 20 years, during which time there were ten household moves to many states. Always active and involved, at Klammath Falls, Oregon, she started a nursery school for the many preschool children on the air base. Following her husband’s retirement from the Air Force in 1972, they moved to St. Helena, where they raised their only child, also named Charlotte, and lived for 44 years before moving to a retirement community in Fairfield.

Throughout her life, Charlotte had a commitment to service. As a life member of Soroptimist International she helped other women reach their goals through persistence and determination, and was a role model for many.

Charlotte had a wide variety of interests. She loved reading, especially legal fiction; collecting unusual artwork and Native American pottery; and travel—seeing her daughter in New York City and many trips to Europe. She particularly loved visiting the AFS student from Catalonia, Spain, who lived with them in St. Helena for a year. An avid walker with a love of animals, she always carried treats in her pocket for the neighborhood dogs. She also loved making things— from sewing clothes for her daughter and sharing craft projects with her to making Charlotte’s own special granola, cranberry relish, and spaghetti sauce, which were enjoyed by family and friends over many years.

With a radiant smile, a keen sense of humor, and an enduring strength rooted in optimism, Charlotte was adored by all who knew her, and admired for her spirit, determination, and conviction.

She is survived by her husband and daughter. Interment will be in St. Helena Cemetery at a date to be determined. Donations in her memory can be made to Soroptimist St. Helena Sunrise or to We Care Animal Rescue in St. Helena.