Deceased January 12, 2024
In Memory
Charles W. “Charlie” Sommers, Jr. died Jan. 12, 2024. He came to Amherst from Cliffside Park (N.J.) High School and joined the Class of 1962. He took a year sabbatical between sophomore and junior years and graduated with the Class of 1963. Charlie was known for his constant good cheer, quick wit and gift of gab. He loved to talk and had a repertoire of poetry to recite. After Amherst, he graduated from New York University Law School and practiced general and criminal law in Hackensack, N.J., for many years. He and his first wife, Lois, had three children—daughter Laurie and two sons Charles and Steven—and three grandchildren.
He played basketball at Amherst all four years and was co-captain his senior year. He continued to play pickup basketball for many years. In retirement, he became an avid fan of Amherst men’s and women’s basketball, traveling frequently to games and seeing both men’s and women’s games on the same day.
In 1990, he changed course and became a drug and alcohol counselor for New York State, working in several prisons. He retired in 2005 and moved to Harpersville, N.Y., where he and his wife, Denise, bought a large property, built stone walls and created extensive gardens and landscaping.
David Blood ’62