August 28, 2025 - Members of the Chapmanville community gathered in the parking lot of the Chapmanville Regional High School Wednesday to remember the life of Eric Bartram.

Bartram, 41, a coal electrician for Marfork Coal Company, LLC, died while on the job earlier this week.

Eric Bartram

Bartram was known as a loving father, devoted husband, friend to many, and the Tsunami Black 14U softball coach.

Members of the team attended the candlelight vigil on Wednesday night to wrap their arms around his family and remember the coach who helped shape their lives both on and off the field.

“Feeling outcast coming in and feeling like I had no friends, he really invited me in and welcomed me, and he just showed me what a real coach should be like,” Rylee Osborne says.

“Everyone that Eric had interactions with or crossed paths with loved him. I don’t think that I’ve ever heard anyone say anything bad about Eric. He was a great person,” Tristalynn Wilder says. 

“He never let us be down on ourselves, no matter what. He was there no matter what. We will always continue to play our sports for him because that’s what he would want. ?He wouldn’t want us to cry. He would want us to go out there and do what he knows that we can do,” Addie Dotson says.

“He was more than just a coach. He treated every one of us like his daughter, and he knew us. He knew us more than we knew ourselves,” Osborne says.

Bartram was also a member of the Logan Shrine Club for eight years, and even jumped into action to help a young girl who was involved in a lawnmower accident years ago.

Fellow Shrine Club Member Benny Eplin says Bartram lived down the road and not only assisted in getting her help on-scene, but also got her the help she needed at a local Shriners hospital. 

Eplin says the young girl is now a cheerleader, living her best life, an example of just one instance where Bartram touched someone’s life.

Since his tragic passing, family, friends, and players all shared emotional testimonies about a man who they say was beyond exceptional.

Bartram’s cousin Carla Runyon says he was “the most selfless and humble man. Our family is shattered. He meant the world to all his friends and family. He has done so many great things.”