I present this Pinside challenge to any and all who knew Steve that are willing to share stories of him. Now with that said, let me get this thread started with a fairly recent story.

I had a relationship of nearly 20 years with Steve between email, RGP, and Pinside. But as I referenced in the 'speedy recovery' thread, it wasn't until maybe 4 months ago that I actually spoke to him on the phone. He wanted to talk after I posted "get well" video from Expo that featured a number of pinball enthusiasts and my son Christian helped to produce. And after speaking with him I realized what others (especially Californians) have known for years, Steve was a special man in many ways. As I mentioned in the other thread, speaking with him was like talking to an old friend where our conversation seemed to pick up where another left off. Over the years I've seen pictures with Steve from PAGG, Rob Bell's parties, etc. And I just said to myself, he is dealing with some challenges, why can't I pay him a personal visit? I had the idea to show up at PAGG to surprise Steve, but decided it would be best to let him know. So I checked on plane tickets for me and Sandy (my wife) as soon as they were available for the PAGG weekend. I ended up buying us some and decided to tell Steve the next time we spoke. Now this is something I will remember forever, I told him about us coming out to see him at PAGG and he was speechless. I mention that as he said it was rare for him to not have anything to say and he started to cry a bit. I told him that I couldn't wait to get there to meet him in person and shake his hand. He said "what are you talking about, I'm giving you a big hug." As I sit here now crying as I write this, I can only wonder what it would have been like to finally meet my longtime friend in person.

I have been reminded today that life is precious and Steve was as special as they come. His family and friends will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. I look forward to people taking a moment to share their experiences and allow others to paint a picture of Mr. Charland, Steve, CARGPB#1, System 80 Guru, Blownfuse, Dad, Grandpa, and any other name he may have been know by in this world.

Brad Czernik (CARGPB #22)

If anyone is wondering why I created a separate thread, I felt the one created by Steve_in_Escalon would be to offer condolences and express sadness. My hope for this one would be to share stories, thoughts, or experiences to allow some reflection on the positive impact that Steve had on pinball. Thanks.

Brad