Very sad news. Never interacted with him. Bur from what I read hear it sounds like they should name a Twipy after him for best tech support, or most helpful employee, or something along those lines. Would be nice to honor the behind the scenes folks.

Same here to be honest.

Chas was great - huge loss. Life is short.

This is very sad and shocking news. My whole working career I have always been told that everyone is replaceable, well this guy here is an exception and he isn't replaceable. They might fill his job but his knowledge and kindness can never be replaced. This is a massive blow to Stern Pinball and the pinball world in general.

RIP Chas

Well said, Who Dey. I completely agree. Chas is one of the reasons I’ve stuck with pinball despite some serious technical frustrations through the years. RIP.

I had the pleasure of dealing with Chas many times both in person and on the phone. He was about as nice of a human being as you will encounter. Just a super friendly and laid back guy that was always a pleasure to talk to. He will be sorely missed.

R.I.P.

Sad news. Condolences to his family. With all the headaches people had with Stern games I never once heard a bad comment about this guy. Sounds like he was always willing to help with a knowledgeable and friendly attitude.

What a bummer. Chaz has helped me several times and he was always knowledgeable, courteous, and replaced what I needed. My condolences to his family and Stern. RIP.

He was super helpful to me on several nib pins such an asset to the company and our community.

RIP

I agree. His assistance went far beyond what I was expecting.

Sometimes I would call 1-800 KICKERS and if Chas did not answer I would hang up and call back. Big shoes to fill now

There are usually online memorials for friends and family to post as part of a funeral package. Nothing so far at https://m.legacy.com/obituaries/chicagosuntimes/obituary-search-results.aspx?ln=Siddiqi&country=1&state=17

We will all miss you Chas, Thank you for being a great guy and always answering all my dumb questions quickly and in a way that made them seem not so dumb. I was always impressed with your passion and dedication to helping others with your knowledge. My thoughts go out to his family and close friends.

Horrible news for sure. Aside from the business loss, Chas was just a decent human being......now we have one less in the world. Rest in Peace.

I never had the occasion or need to meet or work with Chas... But I want to say that reading all these testimonies is kind of insprining. This year has exposed so many examples of bad faith and selfish acts... It's nice to see someone highlighted as the type of person and simply good human being we should all strive to be. That's a proud legacy for anyone.

Rest in peace, Chas.

This sucks. Seriously, this sucks for everyone. It sucks for Stern. It sucks for pinball. It sucks for people. I'm so sorry to hear he is gone. This really makes me sad.

Thread should be re-Named “ Chas, THE amazing tech support engineer at Stern has passed away “.

Never had the pleasure dealing directly with him, but knew he helped our local distributor tech and heard nothing but good things about him on here. Clearly he’ll be sorely missed by all that knew him. Great idea earlier for some sort of award or something to be named after him.

Rest In Peace; sad news in a sad world these days.

I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times and both he and Patrick were both fantastic, wonderful people to deal with. he will be missed

"I read the news today, oh boy..."

Chas was such an amazing person. I had the pleasure of speaking with him for the first time around 15 years ago, when I had a question about my recently-acquired Monopoly. Very new to the hobby, I had some trepidation about calling the person pictured on the manual about a machine that had been out of warranty for several years, worrying whether my questions would be stupid or wondering if I would be spoken to in a condescending manner about "why are you calling me about this old game and you're not a tech why are you bothering me?" When I received his now-famous greeting on the other end of the phone, I seemed to sense right away that I was in good hands. He seemed to be genuinely happy that I had purchased my second-hand machine for my home use, and also talked me through my issue with great professionalism and care, warranty-be-damned. Then a few months ago, I had a node board go out a week after receiving my NIB BM66; I was surprised and happy that Chas answered my email, and he sent out a replacement immediately. This kind of service is rare, indeed, in any industry. It was apparent that Chas was a caring individual, not only about his job, but about the people he encountered on a daily basis.

My deepest sympathies to all who knew and loved him.

Very sad, talked with Chas on many occasions about issues with my games. If Chas did not answer the phone, i would hang up and call back until he did. Chas was always funny, helpful, and would always send you the parts that were needed. I always loved his laid back attitude when talking with him as well. Stern has lost a great employee sadly. I wish Stern and Chas's family my condolences to this great loss, especially for us pinheads. Godspeed Chas.

So sorry to hear of Chas's passing! My service experience from him was always great. Very pleasant and helpful guy!

RIP

What terrible news! Chas helped me on many occasions. He was always patient and friendly. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He will be missed by many in the Pinball community. RIP

RIP

So sad. Chas calm cool & collective. Too young my heart goes out to his family & friends. Rest peacefully Chas

That is what I was thinking. Tech support guys don't grow on trees. Especially beloved ones that people have had contact with for so many years that they know, love, and respect. A man they know will help them.

This thread is to pay our respects to Chas. I do feel sorry for Stern too. A terrible loss to their family.

LTG : (

Chas helped me numerous times over the years and was a great guy!

I never had to deal with Chas but from everything I read over the years he definitely sounds like he was a nice guy to deal with. Sounds like Stern has some pretty big shoes to fill. My condolences to his friends and family.

Chas was amazing and defined great customer service. I’ll never forget his calm reassuring voice and willingness to help, no matter what the issue. My condolences to his friends, family and co-workers.

Chas belongs in the Pinball Hall of Fame. Make it so.

I remember being at my wits end with a topper problem. After several parts and replacements went back and forth id had enough. I called him with every intention of losing my cool. Within 10 seconds his calm, soothing voice made me completely forget why I was so upset when I called. A true professional and gentleman. They don't make many people like him. He will be incredibly missed.

Chas made me feel like I was his only customer. He was the only human I've ever been in contact with at Stern via email or phone. He gave me confidence to be a repeat customer. There is a huge void in the pinball universe. RIP Chas

So sorry to hear it. My condolence to his family. We were his family too.
I call when my NIB wouldn't take update. Chas said remove
Boot flash EPROM, one of the tooth is bent. I ok I'll check it and call you back. He said No I'll wait. Stand up guy. Will surely be missed.

I pretty much agree with everyone in this thread. Chas was the absolute best! This sucks! With a capital SUCKS! Was it determined cause of death? I hope it’s not COVID related.

RIP Chas; you will be remembered by so many people of the pinball community.

RIP. You were awesome at what you did. You will be missed.

Just now hearing about this - I’m absolutely stunned. I’ve called and emailed with Chas many times over the years, and he was absolutely THE role model for customer service. His calm demeanor and level headed approach to troubleshooting problems always put me at ease, and he never let me down. My deepest sympathies to his family and friends. He will be greatly missed.

Super solid guy, took care of all my problems and made me a long time customer of stern even with the quality issues. Very sad and will be missed. Rip

I've spoken with many times. My most helpful memory is when I needed my Ghostbusters playfield replaced. Sent him photos, I pulled the playfield, drove to Stern, Chaz took my original playfield with ghosting and gave me the new playfield, drove home and plugged it in. Chaz handled the whole process with me from A to Z and I had my playfield installed. The whole process took 90 minutes. THAT is service.
Rest In Peace kind sir...you will be missed. God Bless.

Chas always took time to help resolve any issues either by phone or email. He was a fantastic resource for all of us that had the pleasure of dealing with him over the years...he was a class act and will be missed. RIP my friend.

Very sad to hear this. He was a friendly guy and knew his stuff very well! He’ll definitely be a tough guy to replace. RIP, Chas.

I just wrote to him an hr ago and got this news. He was always helpfully to me and will be greatly missed! RIP Chas.

Very sad to hear this; even people like me who have had no trouble with their Stern games over the years knew about Chas. As others have posted he had a reputation for great service and tremendous knowledge to help people repair their games.

He will be missed.

Donated. Very sorry for your loss Ray.

Very sorry to hear this news. Chas was always so helpful and was a true asset to the pinball community. He will be missed.

Yup, just like everyone else, only have good memories working with Chas. He always seemed patient, level-headed, and focused: a great representative for Stern.

First dealt with him when I was looking for the boot flash file for Whitestar when I picked up LoTR many years ago, and he immediately hooked me up. Then when I got my first NIB, ST Premium, had to work with him a bunch more to sort out a number of issues. Was great to know he was there when you needed him, big shoes to fill.

Can only imagine since he was such a devoted guy, how much more his family will miss him. RIP.

Donated....once again, a wonderful, helpful, pleasant man!

So very sad. Chas was truly an unsung hero of pinball. Stern will not be the same without him. I once dialed him by mistake and rather than just hang up I let him answer and said "Hey Chas, just wanted to say hi and thank you for all you do, I really appreciate all your help over the years!" He just said in his usual Chas voice "wow, no one has ever said that before!" Rest easy, my friend.

Donated... Sorry again for your lose!

“after a lifelong struggle with alcoholism and related mental health issues.”

This is devastating to read. I wish more people would be able to access proper help sooner. Hopefully anyone having a difficult time will find someone to talk to and get the help needed.