DeKALB | After the death of Charles “Charlie” Lainge, 52, Sycamore resident and owner of Laing Management, DeKalb and Sycamore city managers aren’t anticipating a change for the cities.

Sycamore city manager Bill Nicklas said Lainge’s family is expected to fill the management role in his company.

“I am full of confidence his company will continue as it has in the past,” Nicklas said.

Nicklas also expressed a great loss in Lainge’s death and said he will be missed.

“He was a quiet person who did big deeds,” Nicklas said. “His death certainly leaves a hole.”

DeKalb City Manager Mark Biernacki said that although it has been a number of years since Lainge had developed in DeKalb, he was good to the city and the NIU community.

“His company was one of the better landlords in town,” Biernacki said. “He will be missed.”

Lainge’s attorney, Tom Townsend, was unable to comment on any future business of the company.

Lainge died Monday when his single-engine plane crashed in north Georgia. The plane was heading from DeKalb to Brooksville, Fla., when Lainge made a distress call to Dalton Municipal Airport, reporting engine problems, according to The Associated Press.

No injuries were reported from the ground.

Alan Edrinn is a City Reporter for the Northern Star.