He was born April 6, 1947 in Kentfield, CA, a son of the late Charles Barnett and Elsie Mae Gerratt Berry. To put it simply, Chuck loved God, his wife, family, country, and the 2nd amendment and not necessarily in that order. Chuck learned how to work hard as a young farm boy in Iowa. He loved the animals but most of all his horse, a gift from his grandfather. Chuck, forever a patriot, was motivated to join the Marines at 17 years old. He served honorably and courageously in Vietnam through four tours. At the completion of his enlistment, he travelled extensively and lived in Kauai, Hawaii. On this island paradise, he met the love of his life, Sara. Soon after, they met church missionaries, and both made the commitment to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and get married. Chuck had varied interests and hobbies. He was a skilled leatherworker and was trained in making Western Style cowboy boots while living in Texas. Target shooting was a favored pastime. It was no secret that he was a crack shot and shared many laughs on the range with family and friends. Chuck spent countless hours honing his skills in Isshin-Ryu Karate. He earned many advanced black belts and loved to share his expertise. He was a natural storyteller, avid journalist, and a voracious reader. He genuinely enjoyed meeting new people from all walks of life. No one who ever met him was a stranger for long and he was blessed with many friends all over the country.
Service was always important to Chuck. He once rode his bike from Batavia to Washington D.C. to bring awareness to the P.O.W’s/M.I.A’s from the Vietnam war. In addition to serving in the community over the past decades, he held many positions in the Batavia Branch of the L.D.S. church. Of the positions he held, his favorite was teaching. He will always be remembered as an excellent teacher who loved spending hours preparing lessons. His final position in the church was as a missionary. He and Sara volunteered and were serving a church mission in Ghana when he became extremely ill. He loved the people of Ghana and serving the Lord very much and it was with a heavy heart that he returned home. He was a devoted disciple of Christ, husband, father, and friend.
He is survived by his eternal companion of 45 years, Sara McCarthy Lehmann of Alexander. Children: Adam (Robin) Lehmann of Lansing, KS, Jamin (JoAnne) Lehmann of Fountain, CO, Kathryn (Jose) Herrera of Reno, NV, Susanna Lehmann-Galens of Greeneville, TN, Rebekah (Jason) Guiliano of Mount Morris, Hannah Lehmann of Alexander, Andrew (Becky) Lehmann of Attica, Jared (Judy) Lehmann of Anchorage, AK and Isaac Lehmann of Ontario, Canada. Also survived by 17 grandchildren and was eagerly awaiting the arrival of 2 more this year. Brother, George Lehmann of Eugene, OR and sister, Bonnie Meek of Eugene, OR.
He was preceded in death by his brother, John Lehmann.
Family and friends are invited to Mr. Lehmann’s Full Military Honors on Monday (August 10th), 2:30pm at the Fr. T. Bernard Kelly Mausoleum at St. Joseph Cemetery, Ellicott St., Batavia, NY.
Future interment will be held upon the final construction of the Western New York National Cemetery, Pembroke, NY. Expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at: www.mcandrewfuneralhomes.net.
ARRANGEMENTS WERE ENTRUSTED TO THE J. LEONARD McANDREW FUNERAL HOME, LLC, 2 BOGUE AVE., BATAVIA, NY 14020. RONALD KONIECZNY II, DIRECTOR.
