Obituary

Charla Rae Chin, died peacefully at home on April 18, 2019, after a long battle with cancer. She was born on January 2, 1951 in Des Moines, IA to Clyde and Lois McPherren. She attended Roosevelt High School and then attended Des Moines Area Community College, but eventually went to and graduated from the Iowa School of Beauty and Cosmetology. She became a successful businesswoman, owning two beauty shops in the Des Moines area. In 1975 she met and married Tony Chin when they were both taking a ballroom dancing class, which they always put to good use during the years of their marriage. They would have been married 45 years in May of this year. They had 2 children, Alan Cho Ming and Kelly, and 5 grandchildren.

Charla and Tony moved to AZ in 1983 due to Tony’s work where she started a whole new career as a Historical Romance writer. Charla loved writing and published 4 novels. These were labors of love due to the extensive research she did for each one of her books. She even had one translated to Chinese, and it sold very well in Taiwan.

Besides her writing, Charla poured her whole heart into everything she loved, which was first and foremost her family, which she loved unconditionally. Her other passions were cooking, photography, and traveling. During her travels she amassed a vast collection of dolls from each of the countries she visited. Each one had a story that she loved to share with anyone who was also captivated by her display cabinets.

Charla and Tony retired in Orange County, where she eventually lost her battle with cancer. Charla is survived by her husband Tony, daughter Kelly James, daughter-in-law Christina Chin, mother Lois McPherren, sisters Patricia Simon and Rebecca Harless (Paul), brother Clyde McPherren II, grandchildren Sierra James, Blake James, Braden James, Alec Chin, Catheryn Chin, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father, Clyde McPherren and her son, Alan Chin.

In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer any memorial go to the American Cancer Foundation, MD Anderson in Houston, Cedars Sinai or UCLA Cancer Centers. Charla was a true believer in the miracles that could be advanced by their research.

Visitation

Date & Time: April 28, 2019 (10:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
Venue: O'Connor Mortuary
Location: 25301 Alicia Parkway Laguna Hills, CA 92653 - (Get Directions)
Phone Number: (949) 581-4300

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9 responses to Charla Rae Chin

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cynthia s says:

April 23, 2019

God bless Kellys mom. Prayers are with you.

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Sierra James says:

April 23, 2019

Granddaughter of charla rae chin

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Kelly James says:

April 24, 2019

To my mom,
There never has been and never will be anyone on this earth who loved me like you did. I will forever miss your hugs, the sound of your voice, and your beautiful smile. You continue to inspire me to be the best mom I can, treat everyone with respect, work hard, love unconditionally, and celebrate the little things in life. Your strength is an inspiration to everyone who knew you. God chose you to be my mom and it was His most perfect gift to me. I pray I can be at least half the woman that you were, and I hope that when you look down on me from heaven that I can make you proud.

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KellyJames says:

April 24, 2019

To my beautiful mom,
There has never been and never will be anyone on this earth who loved me like you did. I will forever miss your hugs and the sound of your voice and your beautiful smile. You continue to inspire me to be the best mom I can, to treat all people with respect, to work hard, and celebrate the little things in life. Your strength will forever be an inspiration to everyone who knew you. God chose you to be my mom, and it was His most perfect gift to me. I pray mom, that I can be at least half the woman you were, and I hope, that when you look down on me from heaven that I can make you proud.

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Dee Kilpatrick says:

April 26, 2019

RIP, my dear friend. Love your family as my own.

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