May 26, 1933 – April 27, 2019
Canon Charles Gessler, a distinguished public defender who devoted his career to legal advocacy on behalf of people accused of crimes, died April 27. He was 85.
Gessler was a longtime member of St. Cross Episcopal Church, Hermosa Beach, where he served as vestry member, senior warden, clergy of the vestry, delegate to Diocesan Convention and in many other capacities. He also served as a legal advisor on several occasions to the diocese’s Standing Committee. Bishop J. Jon Bruno named him a canon of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul in 2012.
A funeral service was held on May 4 at St. Cross Church.