Former LP Gas editor Chastain dies

Ronald “Zane” Chastain, the endearing longtime editor of LP Gas who served the magazine across four decades, died June 21 in Duluth, Minn. He was 83.

Chastain started with the magazine in 1974 and took on a number of roles in his many years with LP Gas, including publisher, advertising sales representative, photographer and designer. He remained publisher into 2000 and was honored as publisher emeritus into 2005.

“He was a one-man band,” Patrick Hyland, who succeeded him as editor, once said. “Every month, he had to think of the stories, do the interviews, take the pictures, write all of the copy, sell the ads and do all of the layout.”

Chastain forged deeply personal relationships with propane executives and mom-and-pop owners, and he enjoyed telling their stories.

“I felt he was an editor beyond belief as far as knowing the industry, knowing people,” Robert C. Mayer, retired president of Blossman Gas, once said. “He was a master of writing and interviewing.”

In 1985, Chastain organized an annual golf tournament sponsored by the magazine. In its early years, the Florida golf outing drew 150 people from as far away as Canada and Mexico.

Later, Chastain added an annual advertiser appreciation dinner, hosted by the magazine at the NPGA Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo, which also proved popular for years.

Chastain was inducted into the LP Gas Hall of Fame in 2013. Private graveside services will be held at a later date.

Photo: LP Gas