Charles W. Eichelman, an auditor for the federal government, died Friday from complications after heart surgery at University of Maryland Medical Center. He was 56 and lived in Catonsville.

A mass of Christian burial for Mr. Eichelman will be offered at 9 a.m. tomorrow at the Roman Catholic Basilica of the Assumption, 408 N. Charles St.

He was an auditor for 30 years, serving in the Department of Health and Human Services and its predecessor, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, as well as the Department of Defense.

Surviving are his wife, the former Dorothy Ennis; three sons, William G. Eichelman and Thomas E. Eichelman, both of Catonsville, and Robert Charles Eichelman of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; two daughters, Kathleen Anderson of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Alice Baker of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and six grandchildren.