I was on RGP when CARGPB was born and Steve is and always will be #1.

I never got to meet him in person. Emailed and talked on the phone many times. Gottlieb system 80 isn't a job, it's an adventure. Steve's willingness to help and contribute to pinball went way farther than Gottlieb system 80.

He and Cliffy talked about visiting my business or one of my events sometime. Sadly, that will never happen.

Pinball lost a lot today. I do believe Steve would want us to keep the ball rolling.

LTG

I had been friends with Steve for as long as I can remember. I think I met him at Pin a Go Go back in the early days when it was new to Dixon, CA. I think he had his line up of super rare Gottlieb pins and he was holding a tournament on them. I got to talking with him and learned a lot about the different rare wide body games that Gottlieb had produced. I also had a booth there and Steve would always come over and grab up any parts I had for sale. He was always so fun to talk to and so knowledgeable about Pinball. Just a real down to earth, great guy. I would also do pinball repair as a business. Sometimes, I would run into a Gottlieb System 80 game that stumped me. I would call Steve. I do not think he ever turned me down on giving me fixing advice if he could. If it was a little harder, he would say "when I get home tonight, I will look at the schematic." I am so saddened of our HUGE loss today. Steve, you will be missed. RIP my friend.

Craig Weiss aka CARGPB23

No memories Brad, but you are a true gentleman bud, really big heart, nice guy, nothing but calm friendliness.. I've experienced the same from you so I speak from experience. So sorry I'm not on topic, but thank you for being you - you did a good thing for Steve, so my thanks to you, our community is lucky to have you.

I met up with Steve at PAGG this last year. We were texting back and forth a bit until he snuck up behind me back to back as I read the next text saying I am behind you, as I turned around I bumped into him literally and we both just laughed. He gave me one of those gold (bronze) pinball's for one of my games. I wanted to pay him for it but he wouldn't have it. He was such a friendly guy that I spent the next two hours or more talking pinball with him, playing his games, and him opening up his games showing me how he uses LED's in games including the leg and bolt LED's that he made. Man that two hours went quick and throughout the day we kept bumping into each other and talking more. He really made you feel important as if you were his brother and it was obvious how genuinely he just cared about what you had to say. I am fortunate to have met him in person and am saddened that I will not see him at PAGG this year as it was one of the things I was really looking forward to doing this year.

I forgot that. He sent me one too many years ago.

LTG : )

Steve a forum Super Hero!

Just like LTG, Chris, Cliffy, Phoebe, Andrew, Vid and many others that give to others, share of themselves and make this hobby so great!!

I can just say that the stories of that brother like attention is no joke. He treated me with respect, patience, and such kindness.

I actually feared something was wrong a couple days ago as I had a fuse blow on my Black Hole for no apparent reason, and it was a pain in the butt 1Amp slo on the lower PF.

I thought of Steve aka BlownFuse and thought I would give him a call and see how he was feeling...... but

Such a sad day for the pinball community.

Never met him in person or his family but after 15 plus years of forum chat you feel an understanding and closeness that's hard to describe.

If you where in a topic with Steve I am sure you learned something, just remember to try to pass it on to others.

Pie Day...3/14 has a new meaning for me. I can't recall Steve s favorite pie?

One of the nicest most helpful guys in all of the hobby. He came over and helped me repair a Surf Champ. He told me it would take him five minutes if he did it by himself, but since he was going to teach me it would take ten. The man used a length of wire and two alligator clips and had the game working that I had spent hours and hours trouble shooting. Of course he didn't want to be paid, of course it was his pleasure to help. The man was gracious and a gentleman. he will be missed.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/favoritebest-pinside-names-w-poll

3 yrs ago Pinsiders voted blownfuse as 2nd favorite online Pinside name,
followed closely by ThePostmaster (he can hit the posts, but not the ramps & targets).

Read blownfuse's comment near the end of pg 1 of that thread when he found out he was in the poll.

Yes, Pinslut won by a mile.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/steve-charland-rest-in-peace/page/3#post-3655637

Any chance you could sticky this thread as well MODS?

No stories to relate, I only knew steve through the forums and emails....Knew him from early days of RGP. I find it interesting, however, that Steve's last post on Pinside, he was doing what he did best...helping people fix their games.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/home-for-the-gottlieb-sys1-sys-80b-guys-yep-i-guess-it-a-club/page/26#post-3548187

As sick as he'd been, he was right back in the fray...A great resource, man, friend and pinball enthusiasts has been lost.

It's weird...surreal. Never met him, don't recall ever speaking to him. Even our online conversations were brief. But what a voluminous effect he had on my objectives in the pinball hobby. I was drifting through the hobby early on...didn't know much...had an extraordinarily overinflated playing ability...I guess the same as many.

I didn't know it at the time, but Steve had begun to formulate an idea of a group of loosely (or maybe not-so-loosely) affiliated pinheads with common traits and ideals. These traits are the ones that keep getting repeated in these two threads. Somehow he saw through my bluster and cynicism and rubber stamped my entry into the CARGPB when another good friend nominated me. I'm not to keen on group membership and I have had my problems with other members' behavior that prompted me to selfishly drop the signature. So I'm still a d-bag sometimes.

Anyway, the point is, he saw something in me, and by including me in his association steered me into the pinball stewardship I profess and do actually practice these days. Indirectly, Steve lead me by example to where I am now. That is profound, to me any way. By leading me to be a better pinhead, he led me to be a better person.

This is why I am glad I had the opportunity to have a great friend relay to Steve my appreciation for what he did for me *without even speaking to me*. That is the indescribable impact he had on me and so many others.

It would be great if we could associate the CARGPB into a force for pinball stewardship of some kind on occasion to the memory of the man who started it all. I won't miss his presence because I will keep it as long as my brain can remember.

In memory of CARGPB#1

Cody Chunn
CARGPB#4

Just wanted to add this link to the story that I posted about Steve and his LED leg light ups including the bolts!

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/new-mod-maybe-something-a-little-different#post-2663910

He and I were really digging discussing them...I wish I would have bought the set of bolts he had in the silent auction. He was like a little kid so excited to keep checking that auction to see what they went for. The final result, well in his words:

Hi Mike,
The RBG Lightning Bolt kit auctioned off for $65.

Steve