Charlene Erceg

CHARLENE ERCEG

Cedar Rapids

Charlene Ann Tegeler Erceg passed away peacefully Wednesday, May 6, 2015, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Hia-watha. Funeral Mass: 10 a.m. Monday at St. Jude Catholic Church, officiated by the Rev. Mark Rea-soner. A visitation at St. Jude Catholic Church will be Sunday from 3 until 7 p.m. Inurnment: Cedar Memorial Park Maus-oleum. Cedar Memorial Westside Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Char was born Aug. 2, 1949, in Manchester, Iowa, the daughter of Conrad Tegeler and Janette Diers Tegeler. She married Tom Erceg in Manchester on July 31, 1971.

Survivors include her husband, Tom of Cedar Rapids; her parents, Conrad and Janette, Manchester; siblings, Michael (Janet) Tegeler, Susan (Joseph) Kelchen and David (Verla) Tegeler, all of Manchester, and Kathy (Ken) Baragary, Marion.

She attended West Delaware High School, graduating in 1967, and attended Mount Mercy College, graduating in 1971, with a B.A. in English. She taught at St. Joseph's Catholic School in Marion, St. Jude's Catholic School in Cedar Rapids, and later was a substitute teacher for the Cedar Rapids school system.

Char's life was not to be determined by a career nor lived as others thought it should be. From her husband, to whom she shall be eternally grateful, she learned that "unique" was good. Thus began her experiences, her adventures and people encounters.

The experiences enlightened her – for two hours, kneeling on a tatami mat, she learned the ritual of a Japanese tea ceremony; prepping for a 140-mph ride in a NASCAR race car, she learned that one enters through the window not a door; climbing down and back up the highest sea cliffs in the world, she was overtaken by a mule train on a very narrow ledge; she towered over the fitting room doors of Chinese dress shops and scrunched low to crawl through the pyramids of Egypt; her open cockpit ride in a 1941 biplane on her birthday.

The people she has met over the years were her most treasured memories. Many were short, ener-gizing encounters, while others developed into lifelong friendships. One gentleman, John Jantzen, spent two hours on a train in Austria with her. They never met again, but remained in touch until he died at 96. There was elderly James Keegan of Ireland who invited her to his home for apple pie. It once had been a tea shop frequented by Charlie Chaplin. Proof was in a photo of Charlie and James. The Pakistani cab driver who befriended her in New York City. The little Arab boys who wanted her in the photo in Israel. One of her closest friends, Ronnie, who she met 20-plus years ago while in Israel, visited her several years ago. She has maintained that friendship over the years and miles. Those and many others have provided smiles and memories through difficult times.

She was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 10. In spite of excellent care and control, the diabetes created other life-threatening medical problems. She accepted the fact that her life would not be longterm, but felt that a life lived to its fullest, for whatever length of time, is a quality that can't be matched by quantity.

Though her life was shortened by circum-stances beyond her control, she decided to live the life she was given. Neither fame nor fortune were hers but she knew she had been a positive influence and touched the lives of both friends and family near and far.

Char's family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Mary Ann Nelson and her staff, Dr. Ghosh and his staff, and Dr. Sullivan and the staff of the Mercy Healing Center, Mercy Palliative Care Mercy Hospice nurse Ann and the Oldorf House of Mercy for its compassion and care.

Please leave a message for the family on the Web page www.cedar memorial.com under obituaries.

Please no flowers. Memorials may be made to the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy or St. Jude Catholic Church.