Charlie was a great scientist, a wonderful person, and had the ability to connect with others in very warm ways. Always kind and fun to be with. I wish I had spent more time together. We all miss you.

Yes, two years and the memories do not fade. Although our interests had diverged in recent years, much of the second half of my research career was bound up with Charlie. I learned more from him over the decades than from anyone else I can recall. I miss his good-natured interventions at meetings during which he had the gift of summarizing what needed to be said but with a kindness where no offence was taken. His name & work were mentioned continually at the encounters & meetings at the turbulence program at the Isaac Newton Institute last year (Jan-June 2022) in Cambridge.

Here in Portland, for the SIAM conference which for many years was held at Snowbird. Was chatting with Robert Krasny about mow much Charlie is missed. So far, this conference is rather dull. If Charlie were here, he would change that.

Linda, thank you for day's video - what a perfect Charlie tour of Ann Arbor! So much missed...

The chasm is at least partially filled by so many wonderful memories. 

Charlie, I want you to know we are doing well but we miss you every minute of the day and love you ten times.

We miss you so much Charlie.

Charlie had an extra dimension of communication and energy which often came out at gatherings with his friends. He was a Dead Head, so he could sing and play all the Grateful Dead songs. He was really quite good with the guitar and his voice was so friendly . . . listening to him play and sing made so many happy memories. Charlie and Paula came across the country to join Justine and my wedding ceremony in January 2004. A gathering of friends. Our wedding was on Saturday morning, and it snowed, so we had the whole day together with our friends. At the ceremony in Fuller Lodge, Charlie played and sang "Time in a bottle" and "Maybe I'm amazed". I'll never forget it. It was a peak moment for me. One more peak moment with Charlie to remember.

Saddened to learn of the passing of Charlie Doering. He had just joined the faculty at Michigan when I was a postdoc in the Mathematics department there. He showed much interest in my work, which was par for the course with him—always encouraging people at the beginning of their careers. I followed his research over the years after I left Michigan. His contributions were numerous and impactful. Beyond that, he was truly a good guy. It’s heartwarming to read these wonderful tributes.

I was so saddened and shocked to learn yesterday of Charlie's passing. He was my PhD advisor at Clarkson and was probably the most brilliant man I've ever had the privilege to know, be mentored by and work with during my graduate student career. His knowledge of Physics and Mathematics was phenomenal and he had a way of getting to the heart of any problem in an inspiring way. In addition to his very kind personality, he was very understanding and had a great sense of humor. My deepest sympathy to Paula and family.

Dear Family, Friends, and Colleagues of Charlie

Thanks to Darryl Holm for connecting me to this website. The tributes to Charlie are uplifting, and a reflection of the guy who always had a smile on his face and who loved life.....everything about life, and left no doubt about it. He was all in, and we were lucky to share whatever experiences we did with Charlie. The epitome of "one of a kind". He will be missed dearly, but more so he will be remembered dearly.  

Despite my overwhelming sadness in losing Charlie Doering, a lifelong friend from my days at Antioch College, who brought so much joy to so many; my grief has been ameliorated by the overwhelming appreciation voiced by so many of his students and associates in the University of Michigan community.

Charlie changed hearts and spirits through his with a rare combination of humor, generosity, keen intelligence, and an infinite enthusiasm for life. He is survived by his wonderful wife Paula, and their family, as well as a global community of admiring friends who will forever miss his warmth, energy, humor, honesty, and wit…

I first met Charlie in 1995 (Cambridge) and we have run into each other over and over since then. Such a pleasure to spend time with -- understatedly erudite and infectiously enthusiastic. I always looked forward to seeing him at Snowbird. Goodbye Charlie.

I don't remember when I first met Charlie, it feels like I've always known him. I've attended many of his lectures, at the same time inspiring and amusing, and I've chatted with him on math and world events; once he even gave me tips on how to handle traveling on (math) business with one of my kids. This was Charlie, someone you instantly felt at home with, an immediate friend. Amazingly upbeat.

I was happy to host him in Rio, he came for a workshop I organized, so much fun, and he gave a great talk -- "Wall to wall optimal transport". We chatted about the (soccer) World Cup, 2014, which was set to take place a month later in Brasil. He knew all about it!

Over the past year I had the privilege of working closely with Charlie -- we were both on the Organizing Committee for the new SIAM PDE webinar series. He was such a valuable member of this committee! He brought his own, rather original, point-of-view to the table and our work and the webinar was all the richer for it. Charlie was always immensely available, always happy to help, even when his health was failing him. During this past year, working with Charlie, I found out that I will miss him sorely.

It's been 44 years since I last saw Charlie. I had just looked him up on Fbook today, only to discover that I was too late. I never knew Charlie to be other than wide open to new thoughts and experiences, illuminatingly intelligent, transcendentally funny and always kind. We performed together in Modern Dance events. Love to all Charlie's loved ones. I'm sorry I missed him. 

We were very sad to hear about Charlie. I had met him about 20 years ago at a meeting in Santa Barbara. Since then, I had followed his work; and, over the last year, I had been interacting closely with him about the meeting at the Isaac Newton Institute.

Charlie inspired us and he will continue to do so.

My daughter, my wife, and I send our heartfelt condolences,



Rahul Pandit

Charlie was a much-needed source of wisdom and advice when I first came to Michigan as a new professor. He co-chaired the PhD theses of two of my students, and helped lead Kristin, a third student, through her candidacy exam four months ago. In my last email contact with Charlie, just one month ago, I updated him on the progress of one of the former students, now working as a postdoc elsewhere. Charlie was pleased to hear of Paige's progress, and said that he hoped to see me around the neighborhood. My house is one block over from the Doering household. Last September we sat together in his driveway and talked about the university response to COVID-19. Charlie was interested in everything. Another memory is seeing him early in the pandemic, while out on a walk. Charlie was on his famous bike, bringing carry-out from one of his favorite lunch places. He was always thinking of others, and we talked about helping businesses struggling from the pandemic. I will miss seeing him on my walks and I will miss his enthusiastic support in the workplace. Charlie was a great human being. 

Dr. Doering, Charlie, was a member of the dissertation committee of my student Linda Leckrone a couple of years ago. He was the most supportive committee member that we could have wished for. He cheered Linda, applauded her work, and supported her as she was also completing her master's in math. I will miss you; I send much love to all who are grieving his untimely death,
Vilma m.

It is special to read the tributes to Charlie, identifying the wide scope of his personal gifts: his humanity, his academic brilliance, and his teaching and leadership skill.  I saw all of these things in our limited interactions at UM over the years.  I valued our friendship and I always looked forward to seeing him. 

Charlie and I were contemporaries at the University of Texas. We were both young aspiring Ph.D. students. What I learned from Charlie then was the value of being kind and attentive to others. I am thankful we had the chance to reconnect before his passing and I was able to share what I will most remember about him. My condolences to Paula, his family, and the mathematical physics community that will surely miss him. 

Charlie was a great scholar and a warm and wonderful human being. Everything and everyone that came near him got some benefit from his passion for science and for life. Recently, and not knowing he was sick, I asked Charlie for some personal advice and, of course, he didn't just help me, he made my problem his own.

As a Ph.D. student, I read and learned from his textbook on Navier-Stokes equations. He was very nice to me on a few occasions I had the honor to meet him in person. He will be missed by many.

Charlie was, and still is, a major inspiration for me; not just in terms of mathematics, but it terms of a spirit of hope and optimism. Just being around him made you feel a sense of purpose, and that time was short and there was much to be done, and much to laugh about. 

A few months ago, he contacted me to tell me that Michigan was playing at Nebraska, and therefore we should plan to go. I knew about his health issues, and also the fall schedule was uncertain due to COVID, so I was slightly hesitant to plan. I believe he sensed this hesitation, and told me something I will never forget. He said, "Adam, the future is uncertain, but that is not going to stop me from planning for the best." 

A few years ago, when Nebraska played at Michigan, Charlie invited me out. Both he and Paula were amazingly gracious hosts, and we talked like like old friends even though I was only getting to know them. Before the game, Charlie took me on a bike tour in his Mr. Maize suit, meeting different groups of friends, and making many new friends on the way. Everyone lit up when they saw hi,. That was his effect on people, whether at a football game, a math conference, or just a casual conversation: his very presence reminded you of the lightness and joy within your own being.

Whenever life seems to have too much viscosity, I will remember Charlie, and the driving force of his unbreakable spirit.

Charlie enjoyed life and was passionate about science, music and practically everything he touched. He was very positive and always made everyone around him happy. He was a great family man and cared about people. May we all be comforted by the pleasant memories.

It is difficult to explain how important Charlie was for me…
Charlie was my Cicero, a model to imitate, my inspiration and motivation.
He is the one who made me understand that one can do both beautiful and useful research at the same time. The problems he has been proposing are hard, incredibly frustrating, but behind each (even partial) solution there is an important discovery. I remember when he was telling me “you might think it is numerology!” when trying to prove scaling laws.
I will never forget his enthusiasm for the mathematical proofs we were finding.
I will never forget his answers to the questions I was asking...those answers that do not make you feel bad. Actually, they really motivate you to find out more.
I will never forget the way he always tried to involve me in discussions and activities; with Charlie I always felt included, welcomed and that my efforts had some value in a way.
I will never forget his lectures and seminars. Although the topics he presented were always of great difficulty, one would never lose attention, because his talks where full of suspense, little jokes, some irony and those funny cartoons! A fantastic recipe and an incredible way to make an important message arrive.

Charlie, you have been so important for us younger researchers, and we will try our best to prove your conjectures and carry your messages.

Thank you Charlie!

Charlie was my postdoc advisor who welcomed me at UMich (’07-’08) and then took me to IMA in Minneapolis (’09-’11).  I consider those four years my happiest, most productive, and of course, the coldest, to date for which I am forever in his debt.  Besides the fact that my wife and I met in Ann Arbor and began seeing each other in Minneapolis when she got an internship there, I attribute a big part of my personal and academic growth to Charlie for he was a true scholar and above all, a tremendous human being. I don’t recall a single instance that he was not caring, inspiring, enthusiastic or optimistic, with probable exceptions when Michigan football lost to OSU (regularly) and when he broke his knees running from 1st to 2nd during our softball practice in Woods Hole. The family I met, Paula, Adrienne, Emily, Evan, Lil Vivi, the Cat, …, are just a wonderful gang and we shared interests on Korean food and tea beyond applied math.  

I really wish we’d talked more since I left the States.  Now there are several things I need to get on with to remember him by, first of which is to dig up the napkin he doodled math on several years back when we met for the last time for breakfast in Hong Kong.  I’m sure that everyone who has ever come to know him will be reminded of his charisma and accomplishments, in one way or another, for a very, very long time.

I knew Charlie when he was in his early 20s at Antioch College on the chorus tour where we sang Ockeghem in cathedrals all over Belgium, France and Italy. I was the shy one, he was the life of the party. I used to look at him and wonder.. how did he do that? He laughed and sang and danced and filled the room with laughter and love. Now that he's gone we get to do that for him. We can channel our innner Charlie. Let's fill the world with his gusto, joy and lust for life. He taught us how to do that!  You will be missed Charlie. The world is a better place for having had you here living life fully! Thank you.

I've enjoyed every single minute of his presentations.
He made many people happy. The world has lost a beautiful spirit.
Charlie is greatly missed.

John and I were remembering an evening at Clyde's with Charlie playing the guitar...such a good night. Saturdays will not be the same without him and his yellow suit.
Keeping you all in our hears and prayers

How wonderful to know Charlie. I met him in the mid 90s at one of his seminars. The topic was, you guessed it, upper bound theory, a subject close to my heart. Thereafter, Charlie enriched my life as a colleague and friend. I am grateful for his science, his joy and his kindness.

I remember Charlie as someone with unbounded energy. He just could not stay still. When we met, the first thing he would say was: "Let me show you something amazing". Then he would proceed with a short super-intense lecture on his current interest and its relation to other subjects. He was an applied mathematician of the highest caliber, attacking concrete problems with the full arsenal of pure mathematical methods, combined with physics and engineering intuition. His scientific horizon was vast, he saw connections to other subjects, he was inspired by real life problems. HIs optimism, both in scientific matters and in everyday life, was contagious. After a discussion with Charlie, I was always happy to go back to my problems that seemed hopeless before. I will miss his lectures, joint discussions, and friendship very much!

When I think of Charlie, whom I have known for over 20 years, a famous Latin phrase from Virgil's Aeneid comes to my mind " sic itur ad astra", which loosely translates as " so one journeys to the stars", not only because Charlie loved convection and there is a lot of convection in stars, but more importantly because he reached the highest peaks with unwavering determination and contagious passion. He was a mentor and a friend and I will miss him so very much. Anna Mazzucato

I have so many memories of Charlie as a singular individual. He was so positive and inspiring. The enthusiasm he displayed in his talks was legendary: he gave carefully crafted, lively presentations that emphasized that he had a "showman" side, which I mean here as a huge compliment. His talks often had a thrilling mystery set up at the start, and an eventual punchline. Science and math would be better served if more people had his style and approachability. Luckily he has trained many young people to carry the torch.

I got to know Charlie & Paula through my husband Jean-Luc, for whom Charlie was a cherished mentor. They were such delightful, interesting, and fun company, and we had wonderful dinners in Woods Hole and Cambridge, UK. When I gave a talk on the furthest thing from fluid dynamics at Michigan (namely South Asian legal history), Charlie & Paula came! And when I was going through cancer treatment myself, they introduced me to the Zingerman's box. I am sorry that we are all taking turns, and that we have lost Charlie far too soon. I am so happy to have known him. Paula, you are in my thoughts.

Great scientist, excellent lecturer, extraordinary colleague. We will never forget you Charles.

Charlie was in Germany on a sabbatical when I was first getting to know the Doerings through Evan in 2005. I spent time with Paula and Emily and John and Adri and Tom and Sophie (no Vivi yet!), feeling very special to be in their fold at Woodlawn, before I ever met Charlie. I remember being worried before he returned to Ann Arbor - would my new boyfriend's dad be intimidating?? Ha! He was not. He was the warmest, most wonderful high school boyfriend's dad (a specific but important role!!) I ever could have known or spent time with. Charlie took Emily, John, Evan and I skiing in Colorado - brave man, him against 4 hormonal teens. I did not know how to ski and it is to his credit that I made it off the mountain - he was a kind and patient teacher (and most importantly, he bought me lessons...).
Paula and Charlie hosted me in Woods Hole several summers and some of my most beautiful memories of high school and growing up are from those visits.
When I left to go to college, I was heartbroken, to leave my family, Ann Arbor, my friends, Evan and his family. In my first week of school, desperately homesick, I checked my email and had a message from Charlie - a brief but loving "keep your chin up!" and a link to, what else, a Grateful Dead song. I wish I could remember what track it was. But it was exactly what I needed to get up and go to the caf.
He was so generous and one-of-a-kind and I will miss him so much.
Love to Paula, Evan, Emily, John, Arlo, Adri, Tom, Sophie, Vivi, and everyone else who will miss Charlie (so, everyone who ever met him).
Love,
Frannie

I feel so lucky to have gotten to know Charlie through his daughter, Emily. Charlie took me to my first UMich football game in September 2018 and I will forever cherish that memory. I know he was a genius of a thinker & teacher, but to me, he was always my friend's dad with the guitar and songs, amazing sense of humor, and jovial approach to life and learning. He loved his family so fiercely, and I loved seeing his love for his grandkids. Holding the whole Doering family in the Light and sending love and hugs as you celebrate a life so beautifully lived.

Charlie was an excellent scientist and a very nice person.
Each time we met, it was always a great pleasure to discuss with him.
We will miss him

Like all of us, I admired many of the important contributions of Charlie, who clearly was an exceptional member of our community. Sharing some memorable moments with him was a real privilege.

Charlie: you will not be forgotten -- we are already missing you...

We had lobster with Charlie and Paula years ago at Ashley's in Ann Arbor. Unforgettable fun. We are all way better off having known this funny, gentle, clever guy. Positive he's wearing that yellow suit in heaven now. Our love to all of his family and friends, there must be millions feeling the loss.

Whether gesturing with his telescopic pointer, posing for selfies with Michigan fans, or passing around a six-pack poolside on the roof at Snowbird, he was always Good Time Charlie. Simply a wonderful human being.

How did Charlie get into Applied Math? I had first met Darryl Holm in 1979 and visited LANL for 3 months in 1982 and each summer thereafter. In 1986 Darryl picked me up directly from the Ross Aviation flight at Los Alamos and said "Let's go into the CNLS because a new postdoc should be arriving this morning." There was Charlie, waiting patiently. I discovered he had come straight from Austin, having done a PhD with Cecile de Witt on stochastic QFT. That night he introduced me to Paula and Adrienne over dinner: "my girls", as he called them. I had been working in integrable systems for 15 yrs -- actually I was becoming bored -- so we apparently had little in common. Nevertheless, as we all know, Charlie has always had the knack of being able to draw people out, so the very first day we began to work on CGL. I'm sure I learned more from him than he did from me. Next summer (1987) we met Edriss Titi, Peter Constantin and Ciprian Foias at a meeting in Boulder and we realised the questions we had been asking about CGL were the big questions for Navier-Stokes. That was how Charlie "got into Applied Math", and fluid mechanics in particular. He continued to wear two hats, stat-physics and NSEs, for the rest of his career. 1986 was a long time ago and since that time we have been like brothers. I will miss him more than words can express.

In 1973 Charlie and I lived on the same hall in our first year at Antioch College. He was slender with long curly blond hair, wire rimmed glasses, trickster eyes and always smiling. I was thrilled to see that same smile in most of the pictures posted of him through the years. In retrospect what struck out to me was his enthusiasm for everything, any thing he was doing or we were going to do. He had the same enthusiasm for his lab project or going to a party or going out for donuts in the middle of the night.  It was always "oh this is going to be great, let's go, I can't wait, big fun." His joy was infectious, spread to everyone. We stayed friends through out college and I cannot recall a single instance where anyone was ever angry with Charlie. He got along with everyone. I do not remember him even getting upset with anyone. After school we lost touch, life gets in the way and we had no contact until I reached out to him when I heard he was sick. Had a few zoom calls in the last few months and he still had that same positive outlook. Our first zoom call he was literally in the hospital getting chemo treatments and he was still upbeat. I recall him smiling saying "look this is life, what are you gonna do. No you're not interrupting, thanks for the distraction, great to see you." Not an ounce of bitterness or resentment about what was happening to him, just sadness about not being around for his family. Wish there were more like him, more of us should model him. We miss you friend, thanks for the joy you gave us.

Charles was a great mathematician and physicist, and a very nice person. I will miss his "franc parler" and his honesty, along with his sharp mind, his clear and elegant demonstrations, publications and presentations.

We were friends for 45 years. He was the best.  So many fun and zany times. From his hot pant shorts to his yellow suit.  Always there when you needed him. His brilliance didn’t prevent him from connecting to people without judgement. He was a remarkable human being and I will miss him terribly.  My heart breaks for his family. He loved them so and he was lucky to have been loved by so many. 

Charlie was a wonderful and inspiring person. He gave a seminar in mechanical engineering a few years ago at Imperial College London and I noticed that the entire audience was smiling. Those smiles were the result of Charlie's enthousiasm, humor and mastery of his topic. We will miss you dearly.

To me, Charlie represented scientific courage and believe in own strength. As an example, he kept mathematical honesty connected to an applied field as fluid mechanics. His presentations were very inspiring and had an unforgettable lightness and fun about them. On a personal level, he could connect immediately and show he really cared, adding optimism and expertise. He could connect people, at the very least with his joy of music. I will be happy to keep his memory alive.

Charlie brought me to Los Alamos (CNLS). He left for Univ. of Michigan soon after but we remained good friends over many years. What a fun person to be around! This is a shock to me. I was not aware of his illness. You will be missed Charlie! - Sandip

Charlie was so fun! He was great company!
And isn't that the purpose of being human?

I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Professor Charlie Doering, a great scientist, mathematician and an amazing human being. It was a privilege to know Charlie and be considered a friend. He carried a warm halo of friendship and inner glow around him. His passion for life (family, mathematics, football; or is it family, football, mathematics?) has rendered him bigger than it. He is now forever one with the infinite. Rest in peace Charlie. We will miss you dearly.