Charles Fontenot
I was born in 1940 and raised in the countryside of Southern Louisiana, I spent four years in the United States Marine Corps. My wife Lucy, of almost 56 years, and I live in San Mateo, CA. We have two children, David and Kari. Our son, David, died of cancer at the age of 21 in 1986. Our daughter Kari, her husband Jim and their two sons Ben and Matthew live nearby. I am a Direct Care Volunteer for Mission Hospice and Home Care. I also volunteer at Peninsula Hospital for their NODA (No One Dies Alone) program. I started writing at the grave site of our son, David, and continue to do so today as part of my healing process. I self-published my first booklet of poems entitled “Empty Closets”, January 9, 1999. At the end of August 2019, I released “In Search of My Soul just looking for me”. My second book is a children’s book, “The Gift Is In the Giving, A Lesson From Mom”, written for our two grandsons, Ben and Matthew who taught me how to trust in life and love again.
