Charles Cahn, II

Charles Cahn II, 1932-2017 Armed with a principled understanding of the law, an unwavering belief in social justice, and the courage to stand up for what's right, Charles Cahn II's was a life well lived. His will be a legacy of conscience and determination that substantively impacted, and elevated, everyone he touched. Born during the Depression to a middle-class Baltimore family, his parents Stanley (an ad exec and publisher) and Dorothy ("the fire of the family") instilled in Charles early on the power of working hard, thinking through decisions, and believing in others. Raised in the Forest Park neighborhood of northwest Baltimore, Charles graduated from City College High School. He earned a batchelor of science in accounting from the University of Maryland where he was a leader of the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity and the Terrapins' golf team – a sport he loved throughout his life. After serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, Charles earned his juris doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1958 and, four years later, his LLM from Georgetown University. Following years of successful private practice with Ottenheimer, Cahn & Patz, his firm merged with Baltimore's Weinberg & Green where he served on the Executive Committee and chaired the Finance Committee. Weinberg & Green ultimately merged with Saul Ewing LLP where Charles worked as a Partner and then Special Counsel in Baltimore until retirement in 2009. Charles specialized in trusts and estates, tax and business law. He deftly counseled businesses large and small, as well as private individuals, helping them navigate the challenges of the law. His legal advice was sought and admired, not just by clients but among those with whom he worked – a lawyer's lawyer who drove everyone around him to be at the top of their game when it mattered most to the people they served. Active in his community from a young age, he was an effective volunteer with the Associated Jewish Charities in Baltimore, particularly assisting donors with planned giving. He and his first wife, Barbara Weissman Cahn (d. 2007), were honored by the Associated Jewish Charities in Baltimore. That same community engagement extended to his second home of Sarasota. FL where he and his beloved wife Judy were active participants in many charities including the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Planned Parenthood. Charles was devoted to the principle that opportunity begins with a good education and lived that value both at home and in the community. With his sister Phyllis Meyerhoff, Charles established the Stanley and Dorothy Lobe Cahn Memorial Scholarship Fund at Central Scholarship in Baltimore that has provided scholarships for impoverished inner-city youth for more than two decades. What will endure more than his legal acumen was his passion for family, his children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews who Charles mentored, believed in, and supported. Charles wanted them to not only be well-educated, but well-positioned to support their own families and their communities. Beyond being at one time a 4-handicap golfer, Charles was also an avid sports fan, especially when it came to his beloved Baltimore Orioles. He could recite on cue current and historic batting orders, batting averages, and the fact that if the pitching held, "this" would be the World Series season – even when reality conspired to dispel the dream. Not surprisingly, Charles spent part of his last day on earth at an Orioles spring training game. Charles was also passionate about stamps assembling a huge collection from around the world. To the very end, Charles epitomized the desire to do right, to hold values and principles as non-negotiable forces of life, and to support people and causes who both deserved and needed it. In the end, if we are to be judged by what we've done, who we've inspired, and the way we lived, Charles Cahn truly lived a worthy life. Every day. Charles is survived by his wife Judy Cahn (nee Kornman) of Sarasota, FL; his daughter Elizabeth Cahn Goodman, her husband Adam and children Alexandra and Jimmy of St. Petersburg, FL; his sons David Cahn, his wife Caroline and daughters Sarah and Jessica of Baltimore, MD and Charles Cahn III, his wife Hillary and their children Peyton and Harrison of Suffield, CT and his sister Phyllis Meyerhoff and her husband Harvey (Bud) of Baltimore, MD.

Tributes

Charles Cahn, II

March 3, 2017