Charles A. Runyan, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, aged seventy-two years, died Saturday, December 22, 2018, in Pittsburgh, PA.
Charles was born in Cumberland, Maryland just after World War II. As a child, his family moved around Western Pennsylvania, eventually settling in Armagh on a farm, where his father grew vegetables of all kinds, and raised chickens. As a young man, Charles helped out on the farm, and sold sweet corn along Route 56 between Armagh and Johnstown.
Charles graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science in English Education. While at IUP, he was a member of Kappa Delta Rho, and worked at Waxler’s Men’s Store on Philadelphia Street. He taught English at Indiana Junior High School for two years before completing a Masters of Library Science at University of Pittsburgh. In the spare time he had while working as a librarian at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Charles restored a Triumph TR-3.
Charles adored British sports cars from the time he was a boy, and while restoring his car, realized the need to fill the demand for car parts for others like him who were also interested in maintaining or restoring their Triumph sports cars. This led him to found The Roadster Factory, a mail-order business specializing in Triumph and MGB parts, in 1978.
He used his expertise to develop catalogs of car parts for several British marques that became invaluable resources to many enthusiasts. Charles considered his highly dedicated staff as well as the thousands of customers of The Roadster Factory nationwide truly part of his family. As the business grew, Charles traveled many times to England to forge relationships with various suppliers. He especially loved Stratford-Upon-Avon. He developed an intense interest in Tudor architecture, inspiring him to build The Coventry Inn, an English pub housed in a traditional timber frame in Indiana, Pa. Charles kept the odd hours he liked, rising around noon, working long evenings on his most recent Triumph catalogs, and enjoying a 2 a.m. cup of tea, right up until his death.
He is survived by his wife Diane, and his children – Albert, Caroline and husband Chris Baker, and John-Paul and wife Jane, daughter-in-law Janna Zummo; grandsons – Clyde Baker and Felix Runyan; brother – Paul D. Runyan, and sister – Dolores
Mills.
Charles was preceded in death by his beloved son Simon, and parents Paul and Grace Runyan.
Friends will be received on Friday, December 28th from 2 to 7 P.M. at his business, The Coventry Inn, 11 North Sixth St. Indiana, PA. A private memorial will be held for the family the following day.
Memorial contributions may be made to Doctors Without Borders, donations@newyork.msf.org.
