A celebration of the Spirit and life of Charlotte Zumstein-Anderson-Lee
will be held on Sunday August 7th at 9:00 a.m. at the White Mountain
Research Center at 300 East Line Street in Bishop.

Born in Pasadena, California on September 20th, 1932, Charlotte moved
to Bishop with her parents Marc and Ethel Zumstein in 1946, and put
her roots down here, remaining connected to the Owens Valley for 70
years despite a lifetime of exploring and living in far-flung places like
Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mexico, Argentina, and Australia.

After making a name for herself early in life as one of the first skiers
from Inyo/Mono to achieve national recognition, Charlotte excelled at
every endeavor and vocation she sampled in her quest to live a full and
exciting life. At various times she was a ski instructor, a bank teller, a
casino worker, a Sheriffs Deputy, a dispatcher, an EMT, a Vet Tech, an
Archaeology Tech, a security guard for Mammoth Mountain, and a
backcountry cook for packer Bob Tanner.

During part of this time she also raised three children and travelled the world with her first two husbands, one an army officer, and the other a horse trainer.

In 1985 she returned to the Owens Valley and truly found her niche
when she accepted a job cooking at Barcroft Station at 12,246 ft., for
White Mountain Research Station, now White Mountain Research
Center.

At the top of the White Mountains she met the man who would
become her friend, partner and husband for thirty years, David Lee, the
luckiest man on Earth.

After an epic ten-year honeymoon working together atop the White Mountains and exploring other mountain ranges on days off Charlotte and David discovered the Mojave Desert and the Southwest and became involved in cultural resource protection
and in documenting Native American rock art.

For the last twenty years they have surveyed and documented sites throughout the American west, forming the non-profit group Western Rock Art Research with a
few colleagues in 2006.

For the last ten summers they have also documented rock art and associated traditional knowledge with the Wardaman people of northern Australia.

Charlotte was a free-spirit risk-taker who lived life to the fullest. She
was an inspiring role model to everyone who knew her because of her
zest for life, her ability to make the best of any situation, and her
willingness to see the good in everyone.

Charlotte began every day with a sense of wonder and adventure. Her optimism and cheerfulness continue to be strong forces in the Universe and in the lives of her many
friends and family members.

Charlotte was preceded in death by her parents Marc and Ethel Zumstein and her brother Donald Zumstein.

Survivors include her husband David Lee, her daughter Ianet Woelfel,
her sons David and Stephen Rogers, granddaughters Leah Woelfel and
Jessyca Rogers, grandson Justin Rogers, and great-grandchildren Bree,
Bam and Rya.


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