Colleagues Remember Richmond Man Who Died After Being Swept Off Point Reyes Beach

Fellow employees are paying tribute to a Richmond man who apparently drowned when he was swept into the surf at a beach in the Point Reyes National Seashore on Tuesday.

Charles Quaid, 59, was walking a dog at Point Reyes Beach, known by some as Ten-Mile Beach, with his wife Lisa around 12:30 p.m. when a wave knocked her and the dog to the ground, National Park Service ranger John Golda said.

Quaid went to their rescue, but he too was knocked down by a wave and swept out to sea, Golda said. A U.S. Coast Guard crew stationed in Bodega Bay recovered his body around 4 p.m.

Quaid had worked as director of finance and administration for the past three years at the Pacific Business Group on Health in San Francisco. He was responsible for accounting operations and managing investment activity, among other duties, according to the company's website.

The company, founded in 1989, works with health insurance plans, physician groups and consumer organizations to improve the quality and affordability of health care.

David Lansky, the company's president and CEO, said he and other employees were remembering Quaid Wednesday as a man with many interests that included bird watching in Bodega, long-distance cycling and most recently
sailing.

"He was always walking or riding his bike with his dog," Lansky said.

"He was just admired, respected and appreciated for his integrity and friendship in the workplace," Lansky said.

Quaid would share his excitement and passion for new discoveries that included music, places he visited and other interests, Lansky said.

Company employees attend a San Francisco Giants game every year, and in deference to them, Quaid, an Oakland A's fan, donned Giants' attire, Lansky said. Quaid recently went to the A's spring training camp in Arizona, he said.

Quaid had also worked as chief financial officer at Yosemite National Institute in Sausalito, an environmental organization that provides field-based science programs for K-12 students in cooperation with several national parks, according to the Pacific Business Group on Health's website.

Lansky said he is waiting to hear from Quaid's wife Lisa about plans for a memorial.

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