OBITUARIES - 12/15/16

TBA

John E. Willard
John Willard, 63, of Waikoloa, HI, died on Nov. 12 in a surfing accident.

Born in Los Angeles, Willard worked as an electrician with IBEW Local 1186 and was a member of Koa Puna motorcycle club.

As a member of SSUSA, Willard played with 50th State Seniors in 2015 and 2016, playing most recently in this past season’s LVSSA/SSUSA World Masters Championships. He also played with Kona Legends in 2013 and 2014.

Brent P. Johnson
Brent Johnson, 69, of Woodbury, MN, died on Nov. 20 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident on Nov. 6.

A member of Minnesota Masters since 2013, Johnson played in a number of SSUSA tournaments in 2016 with the team, including the Steve Simmons Memorial SSUSA/SPA National Qualifier (Mosquitoland Classic), the Midwest Championships, the Rocky Mountain Championships and the LVSSA/SSUSA World Masters Championships. Johnson also previously played with Minnesota Vortex (2014) and Minnesota Masters / Red (2010).

“He was as good a teammate as anyone could hope for and always had a very positive outlook on life,” said Richard Mumbleau, team manager for Minnesota Masters. “Everyone loved him and the whole Minnesota Masters family is going to miss this true gentleman deeply.”

Lowell R. Metheny
Lowell Metheny, 84, of Sarasota, FL, died Nov. 30 following a brief battle with cancer.

Metheny, who was inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame in 1998 in the player category, last played in SSUSA in 2010 with Center For Sight in the Winter National Championships. He began playing in SSUSA in 2001.

Metheny served four years in the U.S. Navy as a photographer and retired as Deputy Fire Chief for Rockford, IL. He played basketball while in the Navy and continued to play through the Senior League at the YMCA. He played softball with church and senior softball leagues for over 50 years in which his team won several Senior World Series games.

Phillip A. Grimpe
Phil Grimpe, 70, of Noblesville, IN, died Dec. 2 after a long battle with cancer.

A longtime member of SSUSA, playing since 1999, Grimpe most recently played with Venom out of Florida. During the 2016 season, Grimpe played in the Winter National Championships, the ISA Winter Nationals, the Spring National Championships and the Eastern National Championships.

A snowbird (Indiana/Florida) since 2010, Grimpe played with a number of teams out of Florida, as well as teams from his home state of Indiana and neighboring states of Illinois and Michigan over the years.