Charlotte Rae Bossel

Charlotte Rae Bossel died April 10 at her home in Rancho Mirage. She was 77.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 12, 1939, "Char" was the daughter of Edythe and Sol Bossel. She graduated from high school in Cleveland and attended Antioch College before moving to Palm Springs in 1958 where she taught Hebrew and worked in the office of Temple Isaiah.

A few years later she moved to Los Angeles and worked in the insurance industry, eventually owning her own agency.

Her love of cooking grew into a catering service "...And For Dessert?" She was well known for her specialty cheesecakes. That passion also inspired her food blog, "Cooking with Char." In addition to the recipe and photograph, each post included a "Char story" which her readers adored.

Char was a devoted fan of the Raiders and a longtime member of the Original Los Angeles Raiders Booster. Her tailgate party menus often featured chili, brisket or barbequed chicken. She held season tickets with the Los Angeles Raiders for 10 years.

She was a member of the Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, the Ophelia Project-Coachella Valley, and Soroptimist International, for which she served for a time as president of the Santa Monica chapter. From its inception, she co-chaired Lunafest Palm Springs, a fundraiser for the Palm Springs chapter.

She is survived by her sister, Toby Bossel Willaby of Palm Springs; a nephew, Robert Willaby of Arkansas; and two great nieces and a great nephew.

Service was private. The date of Char's Celebration of Life will be announced on CaringBridge.com