Charles F. Raines
My thoughts and prayers are with you for your loss. I enjoyed many laughs with Charlie. We also shared a great love of cats.
Paulette Koontz
MANCHESTER
IA
Linda and Family, I was so sorry to hear of your Dads passing. He was such a fine and funloving man. The only thing that makes it right is he did not deserve to suffer and he no longer is. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Always, Your friend, Nancy Carter
Nancy Carter
Hiawatha
IA
To Charlie's family: Would like to share with you an email received from a bridge player who lived in Cedar Rapids last year and who is now back in his native India: Dear Babs and bridge friends, I am very sad to hear about the demise of our dear friend, Charlie. In a way he has escaped from the world of severe pain of which he had been suffering for a long time. Charlie had been a great friend of mine helping me to reach the bridge table in his stylish Jaguar, talking about his good days. I always talked about him to my friends here. He was a man of real strength ready to fight agamist all odds. I am going to miss him a lot. May I join all our friends to share the grief of the sad demise of our dear Charlie. May his soul rest in peace. Kindly convey my heartfelt condolence to his daughters and other members of his family. Mathew
Barbara Skogman
Cedar Rapids
IA
(From Texas) To Charlie's family, I only knew Charlie through duplicate bridge but he was a true blessing. Even though I am a relatively new player to the game, he was always so kind and patient. I will miss his sweet smile at the bridge table when I return to Iowa. My heart goes out to all of you. Sincerely,
Mona Bertrand
IA
Linda and Family, My heart goes out to you all, Charlie was a great man, I just met him a few times but instantly liked him. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this trying time, Sheryl
Sheryl Arnett
Hiawatha
IA
To Charlie's family, I am so sorry to hear of your Dad's passing. He was a "gentleman" both at the bridge table and in life. I feel honored to have known him and to have been a part of "Charlie and his Angels" as they used to refer to our group at bridge tournaments. One of my favorite stories about our tournaments times was when, a lady came up to our table while the four of us were having dinner and said to Barb Skogmann "That is a beautiful ring, your husband must love you very much" to which Barb answered "he does". She looked at Charlie and smiled and Charlie said "Oh shes not my wife" and she asked "well which one of these ladies is your wife" and Charlie said "none of them" and smiled. He may be gone from this life but he is alive and well in spirit and his present is felt many times since I have left CR. When I am planting my flowers, when I research stock and most certainly when I am at the bridge table. I will always remember him fondly. Judith Huntsinger
Judith Huntsinger
Oro Valley
AZ
Linda and Nancy: Thank you for letting us know that Charlie passed away. We have a lot of fun memories of playing bridge with Charlie and June and we had a lot of fun fishing also. I know you will miss m him. Bob and Sally Dungan
Bob and Sally Dungan
Bella Vista
AR
To Charlie's family, I was sorry to hear of Charlie's passing. When I first moved to Cedar Rapids, I picked out a name, (Charlie's,) from the bridge results in the Gazette and called to get information about the Club. Charlie was very friendly and helpful. He proved to be that way at the bridge table also--a pleasant and patient partner and a worthy opponent. He will be missed. Rita Hampton
Rita Hampton
IA
There were two men to whom I owe much for shaping my life: my dad, Roger, for raising and teaching me during my formative years prior to college, and Charlie Raines, for continuing to teach me after college about the water treatment business, sales, and life in general. These two men also happened to be the smartest people I had ever known. What luck for me! Charlie took a gamble by hiring a kid just a week after graduation from Luther College in 1976. I didnt know the first thing about selling, and I sure as heck didnt know how a water softener worked. But I sat down and studied everything he put in front of me. There were two pieces of advice Charlie gave me early on: Develop a thick skin, and Dont make the same mistake twice. I soon learned what he meant by both. Oh, and a couple more things: Buy low and sell high, and Dont ever ask me to teach you how to play bridge. Well, to this day, I keep getting the first mixed up, but I never did approach him regarding the bridge thing. I will miss our occasional one-on-one talks in your living room, which in recent times, grew less frequent as my business took free time away. I always valued whatever advice you could lend at that moment. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Charlie! I will miss you dearly.
Greg Wymore
Cedar Rapids
IA
Hello family from the Kints. We so much enjoyed your dad's sense of humor. He was into so much and wasn't afraid to tell you about. We enjoyed his stories so much and laughed every time he told a new one. His knowledge of gardening is very impressive. Halloween was also a fun time for him and he loved to have people guess who was behind the mask. Charlie we will miss you greatly and every time we go to Linda's and see your green wine glass we will be thinking of you. Thanks for letting Greg drive your Jag.