Charlene Spielvogel, beloved wife, mother, sister and “Nana” passed away on January 11, 2026, at the age of 84 due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease. She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Gerald (Jerry) Spielvogel; her children, Jill and Brian Gross and Amy and Michael Hinton; grandchildren, Alexander and Everett Gross and Joshua and Gabriella Hinton; her sister, Yvonne (Bonnie) Colton; many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws; and lifelong friends from every corner of her life.

Charlene was born in 1941 in El Paso, Texas, to Audrey and Herbert Given. She graduated from El Paso High School, where she served as co-editor of the yearbook. Throughout her life, Cloudcroft, N.M., was her second home and happy place – from summers on horseback at Cary’s Camp to annual stays at the family’s mountain cabin among the pines. At the University of Colorado, Boulder, she earned a degree in journalism and was an active member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi sorority. Following college, she worked for Wells Fargo in San Francisco before moving to New York City to work in advertising on Madison Avenue. Later, while working as an industry research assistant at Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery, she met Jerry, and they married in 1969.

Charlene and Jerry first settled in West Orange, N.J., to raise their children, Jill and Amy. She balanced parenting young children with many volunteer pursuits, active involvement in the schools, and receiving a master’s degree in consumer economics, including earning membership in Phi Kappa Phi honor society and holding an internship with the consumer reporter at WCBS in New York. The family later relocated to Moraga, Calif., where she and Jerry lived for 35 years before moving to Boulder, Colo., three years ago.

From coast to coast, she was a lifelong advocate for the rights of women and families, dedicating much of her free time to volunteering. Notably, she was active for decades on the local and national level with National Council of Jewish Women, including several years serving as a national board member and officer. In 1981, she helped spearhead the creation of the NCJW Center for Women in Essex County, N.J., becoming its inaugural vice chairwoman. Since its founding, the center has served thousands of women by providing peer support groups, training and myriad other services to help them navigate significant life challenges. In California, she helped found a new local NCJW evening section, making it easier for working women to become involved in NCJW’s social justice causes. The section later awarded her the Edith Goodman Award for her service.

With her husband, Charlene was an avid world traveler, enjoying adventures on every continent – experiences she also loved to share with her parents, friends, children, and grandchildren. As a part-time travel agent, she also helped deliver magical travel experiences for others. Closer to home, Charlene loved games and puzzles of all kinds, particularly playing mahjong, canasta, bridge, and scrabble, and working jigsaw puzzles with family and friends. She was a masterful cook and baker, creating gourmet club dinners in New Jersey, hosting fancy multicourse New Year’s Eve bashes in Moraga, and sending frequent shipments of treats to her grandchildren. Among her many interests and pursuits, nothing gave her more pleasure than family. At many anniversaries, weddings, and major family milestones, she shared her love through funny and touching poems toasting the guests of honor. She especially enjoyed spending time with and watching her grandchildren grow up and was unabashedly effusive about how much she enjoyed visits and trips with far-flung family members, enthusiasm and love that created many wonderful memories.

A celebration of Charlene’s life will be held January 18, 2026, in Boulder, Colorado.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be made in Charlene’s memory to the National Council of Jewish Women or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.