Community pillar, brilliant orthopedic surgeon, loving husband, devoted father, and a natural athlete, Dr. Michael F. Charles, 70, passed away unexpectedly, from a cardiac arrest, at home in the arms of his wife, Beverly Roberts Charles, on September 18, 2020.
Born on December 22, 1949, in San Francisco, California to Felton and Iris Charles, Michael was the oldest of four children. He attended St. Michael’s Elementary School, Lowell High School, and he was one of three U.S. citizens to become the first to receive a full academic-athletic scholarship to attend Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada.
Michael majored in Psychology and English and played center forward on Simon Fraser’s basketball team, helping to lead the team to many victories. After college, Michael headed to the east coast, met his mentor, Dr. Samuel Proctor and received his Medical Degree from The University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1977.
In early 1977, just before Michael was set to graduate and return to California, he met Beverly Roberts, the woman he would propose to just two weeks later and marry four months after that. They met a charity card party in New Jersey. At this party, Beverly needed a partner for a Bid Whist game. They were matched as partners by one of the event organizers and “Bostoned” most of their games that night. That was the beginning of a 43-year partnership between the two. On June 12, 1977, Michael and Beverly were married in front of 200 family members and friends. They left for Michael’s Internship in Los Angeles, California the day after their wedding on their first adventure — a cross-country road trip in Michael’s red 1973 Toyota Celica.
Michael’s Internship was in Surgical Specialties at Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital in Los Angeles, where he was awarded “Intern of the Year” in 1978. Michael completed his Orthopedic Surgery Residency at MLK, Jr Hospital and was recruited to Herrick Hospital, the then trauma hospital in Berkeley, California as their Orthopedic Trauma Specialist.
Michael and Beverly relocated to the Bay Area in 1982 and began establishing their life, building a strong and vibrant personal and professional network. Together they opened Michael’s orthopedic surgery practice, Ortho-East: An Orthopaedic Medical Group, in July of 1982. During the next 22 years, with Michael as the Medical Director and Beverly as the Executive Director and with a dedicated professional staff, Dr. Michael Charles served more than 20,000 patients in the Bay Area and beyond.
From 1984 to the late 1990’s, Michael also served as the Medical Director at Golden Gate Fields Race Track. He felt and often stated, that pound for pound, jockeys are among the most fit athletes. In 2004, Michael and Beverly closed Ortho-East and Michael began working as a medical consultant at Newton Medical Group. When Newton Medical merged with ExamWorks, Michael continued his passion of making a difference in the life of injured workers. At the time of his passing, Michael was the California Orthopaedic Medical Director for Newton Medical Group – ExamWorks IME Services.
As a community leader, Michael was a Past President of Sinkler Miller Medical Association, a founding member of Physician’s Medical Forum, a member and former Grapter for Alpha Gamma Boule of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, a founding member of the Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and served on the Berkeley Rotary for more than 15 years. Michael’s dedication to medicine extended beyond his care for patients and was embodied by his mentoring of other young people who wanted to become physicians—fostering bright minds and helping others comprehend their true potential in order to become better versions of themselves.
Michael and Beverly were avid world travelers. He was a natural linguist, quickly picking up languages and conversing with locals. Together, Michael and Beverly visited 29 countries and 5 continents. They savored the culture, soaked up the atmosphere, always found the best local food and drinks.
In June of 2016, Michael realized his lifelong dream of becoming a published novelist with the publication of his book, “Too Big to Hide, Too Dark to Blend In.” Michael began writing his novel while was in college, inspired by observing his peers’ confusion when confronted by the earth-shaking social changes of the 1970s. Forty years in the making, his moving, highly personal work of fiction captures the zeitgeist of the 1960s and 1970s.
While Michael enjoyed talking philosophy and having deep conversations, he was also often the life of the party and always a master joke teller. People were drawn to him and his magnetic personality, and he will be dearly missed.
A proud father, Michael was thrilled to see his two daughters, Alexis and Jessica, graduate from college and go on to get multiple advanced degrees. He actively supported their dreams and inspired them to reach for the stars and work hard to get there. Michael is survived by his wife Beverly Roberts Charles, JD, his daughters Alexis Charles, PhD, and Jessica Charles, MA, his sister Carol Eason, niece Briana Eason, nephew and godson Greg Eason, sister-in-law Wendy Roberts, MD, nephew, and his “darling little one” four-year-old godson, Jonah Cross Roberts.
Most recently Michael proudly participated in Sinkler Miller’s “Black Doctors for Black Lives” silent protest on June 6, 2020 in support of justice for George Floyd and all victims of racially motivated killings and ending institutionalized racism in the United States. There will be a Michael F. Charles, MD Black Orthopedic Resident Scholarship established in Michael’s honor with Sinkler Miller Medical Association.
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