Rest in Peace, Bro. Charles Mayer, SDB

By Fr. Mike Mendl, SDB

Bro. Charles Frederick Mayer, SDB, surrendered his soul to his Maker at 6:10 p.m. on Wednesday, February 12. He died at United Hebrew Nursing Home in New Rochelle, where he had been cared for since September 14, 2016. For several days he had been having some trouble breathing and was being treated for comfort. Fr. Jim Heuser anointed him on Sunday the 9th.

The province had anticipated celebrating Bro. Charles’s 50th anniversary of religious profession on September 1 of this year.

Charlie was born in Evansville, Ind., on October 14, 1942, and was baptized four days later at St. Benedict’s Church in that city. He was also confirmed at St. Benedict’s in 1949. His parents were Carl and Caroline Gumbel Mayer.

After graduation from Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville in 1960, he earned a B.S. in chemistry at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Tex., in 1964. In the summer of 1963, he interned at Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Continuing his studies, he earned a doctorate in chemistry from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., in 1969 with a GPA OF 3.93.

During the period between 1969 and 1973, Charlie may have been teaching chemistry; we don't have any information about this period. In any case, by 1973 he was discerning a possible vocation as a brother. Thus he came to Don Bosco College in Newton, N.J., as a Son of Mary in September 1973 and immediately began teaching sciences, fondly called Doc Mayer by his seminarian students. He entered the novitiate on August 31, 1974, and during that year not only continued teaching but also took credited DBC courses in theology and education. His novice master was Fr. Ted Ciampi, and among his 20 companions were Mike Baptista, Bert Cooper, Mike Farnham, Dave Gonder, Jim Heuser, Fr. Tony Mastroeni, and Vince Paczkowski. They (and a few others) professed on September 1, 1975. Bro. Charlie made perpetual vows on August 29, 1981.

Bro. Charlie continued teaching at DBC until 1981: biology, chemistry, and physics. He took supplementary summer courses at William Paterson College in 1977. He was part of the staff of the Boys Club attached to the college until he was appointed assistant to the novices in 1980-1981. The boys loved talking with him, says Fr. Eric Wyckoff.

Fr. John Nazzaro was one of his students in 1973-1974, a “cleric” at the time, and he remembers: “Charlie was our chemistry teacher when he was a Son of Mary in Newton. Believe me when I tell you it was not the most lively class, but we had so much fun and great laughs. Charlie was always a gentleman and a gentle soul. He really cared if we learned about Guy Lousac’s gas laws. All of us are happy he’s a peace with the Lord.”

Former Salesian Bob Ferrara recalls Bro. Charlie as “a humble, meek person in an admirable way, very likeable and friendly. He was very easy to talk to, never an attitude.”

Bro. Charlie was assigned to Mary Help of Christians School in Tampa in 1981, where the students liked him but were a little hard for him to handle in class, according to a confrere who was there. In 1982 he came to the provincial house in New Rochelle to assist the province treasurer. In his 16 years in the provincial house community, he was ever attentive to his financial work. In the afternoon he would recreate by doing groundskeeping. Always a friendly presence to confreres and visitors, he was also a notable contributor to Christmas tree decorating.

In 1998 Bro. Charlie was re-assigned to the Salesian Boys & Girls Club in East Boston as community treasurer and an assistant in the Club. In 2004 he moved to St. Anthony’s Parish in Elizabeth, N.J., to help the community and apostolate in various ways.

From 2007 to 2016, Bro. Charlie served at the Marian Shrine in Haverstraw-Stony Point, N.Y., as manager of the bookstore/gift shop. Ann Cenname, retreat house coordinator there, writes, “I will always remember Bro. Charlie as a sweet, kind soul.” Fr. Franco Pinto commented on the consistency of his daily routine and his good running of the bookstore. He noted that many people visited the store, not so much to buy something, as to talk with Brother, who had a very pastoral way of relating to them.

Deteriorating health compelled Bro. Charlie’s move from the Marian Shrine on September 14, 2016, to United Hebrew, where he was well cared for and was visited regularly by his confreres of the provincial house community. From India, Fr. Thomas Pallithanam, a former member of the New Rochelle community, wrote: “The community here offered our Eucharist for the repose of the soul of Bro. Charles Mayer. I told them how the New Rochelle community members would take turns to visit Bro. Charles daily even when he would hardly recognize their presence by his side.”

Upon learning of Bro. Charlie’s passing, Bro. Hubert Twagirayezu, another former provincial house member now serving in Uganda, exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, my best friend. May God grant him eternal rest!”

Bro. Charlie is survived by a sister, Kathleen Wilcox, and a brother, Stephen. Both live in Indiana.

Bro. Charlie’s funeral was celebrated at Salesian High School in New Rochelle on Friday, February 14. The students had an opportunity to pray after his body was brought to the chapel, and Salesians from the Haverstraw, Ramsey, and Orange communities paid their respects later. Fr. Franco Pinto, vice provincial, presided and preached at the Mass of Christian Burial.

On February 15 Bro. Charlie’s remains were brought to the Salesian Cemetery in Goshen, N.Y., for burial.