OBITUARIES - 4/1/16

March 1, 2016

Don Stratton

Don Stratton, 68, the CEO of the Independent Sports Association (ISA), died of a heart attack Thursday in Bartow Florida. Don was an exceptional force in softball for many years, partnering with Senior Softball-USA in many events and international softball tours.  

“Don was instrumental in helping SSUSA found many of the key tournaments in Senior Softball, including the Tournament of Champions, the Winter Nationals, Spring Nationals and, this year, the Southeast Championships,” said Terry Hennessy, SSUSA chief executive officer.

Don was a true ambassador of the sport, helping lead several international goodwill softball tours, including tours to Mexico, Ireland, Scotland and Cuba.

Look for an in-depth story on the life of Don Stratton in the Spring print Edition of Senior Softball News.
 

Jim Davis

Jim Davis, a longtime supporter of Senior Softball-USA, died at age 89 on March 24.

Jim was a supporter of Senior Softball-USA from its earliest days and a friend of the founder of SSUSA, Bob Mitchell for decades. After serving in the Marines as a Seal, Jim met Bob Mitchell when both served on the Police Force in Southern California.  As their friendship grew and Mitchell founded SSUSA, Davis stepped in to help with the insurance coverage for the sport.

“Jim has been a force in the sport and in our lives at Senior Softball-USA for many years,” said Terry Hennessy, SSUSA chief executive officer, “and, most important, he was a good friend.”

Jim, a founding partner of National Certified Inc., also was a sponsor and player of NCI Softball Club for 10 years.

“Jim was a great man known for his charity work,” said John Crawford, who played and managed on the NCI teams.

“For anyone that has stepped on the ball field in Southern California, the name Jim Davis and NCI resonated through all of the dugouts,” said Kevin Evans of Top Gun Softball on the SSUSA message board. “He was a fierce competitor and did not accept second place. I enjoyed competing against his teams as he recruited some of the finest softball talent in the regions. Jim will always be remembered for raising senior softball to new heights in SoCal.”