Well, this is a thread I never dreamed I would ever think about having to write. I have always held my breath when I received an update from the In Memoriam thread during my tenure on FlyerTalk. We've lost a number of wonderful people and, sadly, I have to report the loss of another. Earlier this afternoon, I received the news from one of Charles' brothers he passed away unexpectedly earlier today. I am still numb from hearing the news, but was given the blessing to let our community know.

I first met Charles at the Captain Denny DO in Portland, Oregon in January, 2012. Both of us were in some form of college at the time (me undergrad and him law school) and we fast became friends. As I went to a number of DOs in college, it seemed rare to meet other FTers in the same age range, so it was always a treat when the schedules aligned and we were both at a DO together. I flew UA's inaugural SFO-RDU-SFO flights in August, 2012, just a few weeks before beginning my Senior year of college, and Charles came over and hung out with me for six hours in between the evening arrival and the 0600 return to SFO. I can still picture chatting with him about anything and everything about miles, points, routes we'd flown and more.

As the years went by, Charles and I coordinated attending several DOs, whether it was one of the many delicious dinner's with Sweet Willie in Chicago, the Brooklyn Reality Tour or WineDO with dhammer53, SoupDO with Catman and more. Until his death in 2021, my Grandpa lived near Charles, so I typically got a chance to visit with him several times per year when I'd go see my Grandpa. We found a great Indian restaurant, now shuttered, called Raaga in Chapel Hill which was a member of the AAdvantage Dining program. It wasn't a good meet up unless there was a way to earn miles or points! In 2015, I booked the AS inaugural RDU-SEA which Charles also booked and got to make a fun two day trip out of the inaugural. When we had a chance to meet some of the airport executives and AS staff, I can still remember joking with them about how I flew in that morning from MCI to attend the inaugural while Charles just drove fifteen minutes. Just some of the numerous instances of banter between good friends. When I flew to BRU for the 2015 4th of July weekend, Charles was also heading to Europe and upgraded himself and voluntarily moved into the middle seat in UA C so we could hang out on the service from IAD-BRU. It wouldn't be a trip with Charles without his camera present!



Charles was always one of those people who gave a lot and was a person who always would offer to split a hotel room or a cab. I had never been to the Christmas Markets, so I reached out to Charles last summer to see if he was interested in meeting up in Europe. I proposed a couple cities and we settled on booking a few days in Vienna which ticked off another country for me and was yet another great trip with one of my favorite FTers and a person I considered one of my best friends. While waiting in the IAD RCC, Charles wandered in and offered to call UAL and upgrade me to Polaris and we had a chance to share a beer in the IAD Polaris lounge (standing room only!) just before boarding. Our love of IPAs always made for an enjoyable trip or the occasional brewery meet up. I was in AVL two days ago and just chatted with Charles to get a brewery recommendation from his prior to departing on Tuesday. I knew I could always count on him. When I took my first trip to BOI last Feb., my dinner plans were inspired upon Charles' photos from a few years prior of a trip to BOI. I left with a full stomach and another great travel tip.

In May of 2016, I had the pleasure of attending Charles' law school graduation and was proud to write a letter of recommendation for him while undergoing the process for the NC Bar Association. Despite our dueling professions, we often had spirited discussions and remained great friends. I was honored in late 2021 when I was one of the groomsmen at his wedding in North Carolina. The bachelor party in Las Vegas was one I will never forget (especially the six or seven IPA's I probably shouldn't have had in such a short amount of time...I am still bummed I missed the steak dinner that night!). The wedding, despite having been pushed back due to COVID, was a wonderful time and it was amazing to see Charles settling down with Hope and Alva. He was quite a different person from the Charles I first met in 2012 at the PDX DO. Charles was quite proud about the fact nearly 100% of his groomsmen were on FT (When You Get Married and You're a Flyertalker).

Charles was very active on FlyerTalk, as well as the various Facebook groups for airlines, credit cards, hotels and more. I imagine there will be numerous posts about him in the coming days, but like I said above, I wanted to let our community know the news as I know there were so many folks who thought fondly of him. Charles was a wonderful friend and will be sorely missed. Please keep his family in your thoughts and remember him for the wonderful person he was to so many.

Raising tonight's IPA, a Destihl Brewery West Coast Style, to Charles. I'll miss you, buddy.