Charlene Weir: R.I.P.

I was very sorry to hear about the passing of Charlene Weir. I was thinking about her recently as I was preparing notes for an upcoming discussion of the early days of the Bay Area mystery scene. We used to ride together to MWA meetings and other mystery events. She was always fun, interesting, and supportive of everyone in the mystery community. Check out Pat Balester's Picks by Pat blog for information.

Charlene Weir passed away on April 4th in El Cerrito, CA. She was the author of the Susan Wren series that includes The Winter Widow (St. Martin's/Malice Domestic Contest-1992) and Consider the Crows (Anthony Award nominee 1994), as well as five other books in her series.

From the obituary written by her daughter, Leslie Weir.

Charlene said of her strong female protagonist, “Susan is intelligent and competent, any doubts or uncertainties are hidden beneath a cloak of cool confidence. She solves her own problems effectively. She doesn’t get rescued. She gets herself out of the burning building.”

In many ways, this was the perfect description of Charlene herself. Charlene’s final novel, Unknown Footprints, has been posthumously published. When she wasn’t writing, Charlene enjoyed playing the piano, looking after her two beloved cats, and visiting with her grandchildren. She was known for her sharp wit and quick sense of humor. She is survived by her two children, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. A memorial will be held at 11:00 am on May 16 at St Alban’s Church, 1501 Washington Ave. Albany CA 9470. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Milo Foundation.