Charlotte Joanne (Hackett) Michel: 1936 -2026

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Charlotte Joanne (Hackett) Michel

Charlotte Joanne (Hackett) Michel was born June 3, 1936 and passed peacefully on June 19, 2026.  She was the third daughter and middle child of George William Hackett and Bertha Josephine (McAllister) Hackett.  She was a descendent of the Hackett, McAllister, Kemp, Hindley and Roscoe families, early settlers that homesteaded, dairyed and ranched in the Ferndale and Mattole valleys and hills around.

Charlotte spent her childhood in a home that her father built at the very end of Howe Creek Road and where he, his two brothers, her grandfather and their families ranched, with a little dairy, but with mostly sheep at that time.  It’s where she learned the value of family and hard work.  Each year the family had a large vegetable garden. They worked together when it was time to gather the sheep, having great meals for the men that sheared the sheep, sacking and then shipping wool and sheep to market.

Charlotte attended the one room Price Creek School, grades one through eight, which at that time sat at the top of a hill on Price Creek. One story told was that as soon as two of the girls got to the top, they dropped their lunch pails and they landed at the bottom of the hill to then needing to be retrieved.  Charlotte graduated and then went to what was at that time Ferndale Union High School where she graduated.

Charlotte had several jobs while doing what was the most important one of all for her-caring for her family.  She worked at Redwood Memorial Hospital and Crown Redwood Company and others.  Her flower garden was beautiful and the best.  She was awarded the Ferndale Garden Club Garden of Merit, an award that she was very proud of.

It was at Ferndale High School that Charlotte met her future husband John Michel, uniting not only Charlotte’s family, but John’s large Portuguese family as well.  They were later married and then became the parents of four boys: John, Victor, Thomas and Tony.  Charlotte’s family then grew to include their spouses: John and Gary, Vic and Colleen, Tom and Cindy, and Tony.  The family continued to grow to include grandchildren and great grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends.

Charlotte is survived by her sons John, Victor and Thomas, their spouses and families, her brother George and his wife Barbara, her sister Jeannette and their families, her godson David Leonardo and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She is preceded by her parents, her husband John, her son Tony and her siblings Lorene Tipple and Patsy Walker.

The family would like to thank the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department, Tom at Ring’s Pharmacy, staff and nurses at both Hospice of Humboldt and the Ida Emmerson Hospice House along with the many others that have helped with their thoughts and prayers.  Special gratitude goes out to Erika Brooks who provided loving care and companionship to Charlotte.

Services are in the care of Goble’s Fortuna Mortuary to be held on Wednesday, July 1st at 10:00 am.