29 July 1951 - 23 August 2007
It is with great sorrow that we must inform our community of the sudden loss of Chuck Crain. He passed very peacefully, surrounded by friends and family, from what would best be described as complications due to congestive heart failure.
Chuck was one of the founding partners who formed Ral Partha Industries in 1975. Sometime in the mid 1980's the Company was faced with financial crisis, and Chuck stepped up to provide leadership. He served as President of Ral Partha from the mid 1980's until the early 1990's, when he stepped aside to remain as CEO with responsibility for the factory, art and sculpting departments. During his tenure as President, Chuck was the lead negotiator when Ral Partha obtained the license to produce AD&D characters for Dungeons & Dragons, Ravenloft, and other TSR products; arguably some of the finest miniature figurines our hobby has ever produced. Chuck was also the Art Director for the BattleTech miniature line, and provided the vision to move the original (static) one-piece BattleTech figures to the dynamic multi-piece figures they are today. Without Chuck's guidance, the BattleTech line would likely never have become the multi-award-winning line that it did - a legacy that continues to this day.
Under Chuck's leadership, Ral Partha grew from a business doing less than $1,000,000 USD a year to one that at its peak did $4,000,000 USD annually with sales throughout the world. All of this before the days of internet publicity and sales. During the years of 1991 and 1992, Ral Partha received back-to-back Ernst & Young Crescendo Awards presented through the Cincinnati Business Courier. The company also won numerous Gamma Awards - virtually too many to count. Chuck sought out and hired many young artist who would become some of today's top sculptors. Some of these names include Sandy Garrity, Chis Fitzpatrick, Jeff Wilhelm, and Dave Summers.
After Iron Wind Metals took over the production of Ral Partha miniatures, Chuck still contributed to that group in any way possible. Many of you will remember him working the Iron Wind booth at various conventions. He would even go over to the factory and cast special products for little more than the gas money. He never stopped caring for or supporting their cause.
Chuck lived and breathed gaming. From wargames, to boardgames, to card games, to the little golf tee puzzles in restaurants, he loved to participate and compete. The only things that meant more to him were his friends and family. He is survived by his wife Leah, his daughter Kathryn, his son Daniel, his brother David, his sister Jennifer, and his granddaughter little Abigail.
Chuck was truly one of a kind and he will be greatly missed. A memorial service will be held at Faith Presbyterian Church, 6436 Corbly Rd., Mt. Washington, on Wednesday, August 29th at 5PM.
Condolences can be emailed to charlesc@leanna.com, and will be compiled for viewing at his service.