Brutal news. This makes me very sad. I met Charles when he was in college in Arizona. Back then, we had a chat capability for FlyerTalk. Many of us met up in the chat room and became friends. Charles decided to visit San Diego. Ny husband and I picked him up at the airport and took him to breakfast at an iconic place in Hillcrest. He was a huge aviation nerd. I remember his stories of going to summer camp with airline schedules in his luggage. I gave him a couple pairs of airline PJs. He sent me a picture of himself wearing a set. We hosted a lot of foreign kids who attended UCSD. We had a Turkish student who was considering attending grad school where Charles was in college. He graciously hosted her for a day, taking her around campus. She mentions it now and again when we meet up.

I've seen Charles many times over the years. The last time was a year ago when he flew in for a FlyerTalk event in San Diego. We had a lunch at Hello Betty in Oceanside. Charles sat next to me and bought drinks for my husband and me - and I think most of those at the table. I can't believe I'll read another hotel report from Charles on FlyerTalk. I can't believe I'll never see Charles at another event. And saddest of all, I think of the wife he cherished, the daughter he adored, the brother with whom he traveled, and the dear FlyerTalk friends such as FriendlySkies who were in his wedding party. What a loss.