OBITUARIES - 1/6/17

Jan. 1, 2017

James D. Coggburn

James (Jim) Coggburn, 71, of Fairfield CA, died on Dec. 10. Coggburn, a long-time member of SSUSA playing with Prime Time, was an avid sports fan, softball player, duck hunter and patriot. As a member of Prime Time, Coggburn helped lead the team to a title at the 1999 World Championships in Phoenix.

Additionally, Coggburn was a member of the 1964 Vallejo Junior College Championship Baseball team and he also was looking forward to the induction of his 1963 Vallejo High School Baseball team into the Greater Vallejo Recreational District (GVRD) Hall of Fame in March.

Coggburn attended Vallejo Junior College and is a graduate of Sacramento State University. He received his ROTC commission from the University of California at Davis in 1969 and served in the United States Army. Coggburn was stationed at West Point and completed a tour of duty in Vietnam.

Ronald E. Garnett

Ronald Garnett, 82, of Hebron, KY, died on Nov. 27. Garnett, a U.S. Army veteran and co-owner of J. A. Stevens Mower Co., was inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame in 1996 in the player category. Over the course of his softball career, Garnett earned All-American honors 18 times and was named Most Valuable Player on four occasions.

Garnett was a long-time member of SSUSA, dating back to 1999. He played the majority of his time with Joseph Chevrolet, having last played in the Winter National Championships during the 2013 season.

"There was not a better person in the world," said John Zoccano, manager of Joseph Chevrolet, about Garnett. "He played with me for 10 years and was the type of player every manager dreams about. He'd do everything for you."

Rich Goddu

Rich Goddu, 69, of Fremont, CA died unexpectedly on Dec. 26 following triple bypass surgery on Dec. 16.

Goddu, a Vietnam veteran, was a long-time member of SSUSA as a part of Out of Storage (which he formed in 2000), while also playing with Prime Time. As a member of Prime Time, Goddu, along with Coggburn, helped lead the team to a championship at the 1999 World Championships in Phoenix. In 2001, Goddu played and coached Out of Storage to a National Championship in Las Vegas.

“Rich has been a force in senior softball in Northern California as a manager and player for almost 20 years,” said Terry Hennessy, chief executive officer of Senior Softball-USA.

During the 2016 season, Goddu managed Out of Storage to a runner-up finish at the Rock ‘N Reno Challenge Cup.

Phillip A. Grimpe

Phil Grimpe, 70, of Noblesville, IN, died on 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.

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).

“Brent 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.”

Robert L. Kapeller

Robert (Bob) Kapeller, 76, of Hemet, CA, died unexpectedly after a short illness on Nov. 22.

Kapeller, a 2016 Top Gun San Diego Senior Softball Hall of Fame inductee, has been a member of SSUSA since the early 2000s, playing with a number of Top Gun teams through the years. This past season, Kapeller played with both Top Gun 75 Classics and Top Gun Swat. He’s also played with No Guts, No Glory, Last Call CA, SoCal Braves and Top Gun Gold, among others.

After a successful career in sales, Kapeller began playing senior in 1999 at age 59 in a recreation league in Menifee, CA. Bob was active as a player in that league for more than 10 years, and also served on its Board of Directors for a number of years Kapeller began playing tournament softball in 2002 with the Palm Springs Strokers. In 2005, he began playing for the Top Gun organization.

Kapeller was the inspiration for the Menifee Valley Upper Division Senior Softball league, which he co-founded in April 2011, and is now in its sixth year of operation. Kapeller also took great pride in being the inspiration for an annual senior softball tournament, the Wounded Warrior Project Games, with proceeds benefiting disabled veterans. This tournament, now entering its fourth year will, going forward, be named after Kapeller.

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Lowell R. Metheny

Lowell Metheny, 84, of Sarasota, FL, died on 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 Senior League at the YMCA. He played softball with church and senior softball leagues for more than 50 years, winning several Senior World Series games.

Dennis J. Weisgerber

Denny Weisgerber, 68, of Chico, CA, died on Dec. 27 of a brain tumor.

Weisgerber, a senior softball player in the Chico league, was a long-time supporter of CAN-Sirs, an organization dedicated to promoting cancer awareness and prevention among senior softball players. Weisgerber played in the Sierra Valley Senior Softball League with the YC Classics and was one of the co-founders of the CAN-Sirs Exhibition team, pitching in all of the leagues.

Weisgerber served three years in the Marines and served in Vietnam. He retired after 33 years with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

“I will miss him greatly,” said Pete Davignon, executive director of CAN-Sirs. “He left behind a great family and a lot of friends.”

James A. Welch

James Welch, 76, of Granite City, IL, died on Jan. 1.

A long-time member of SSUSA, dating back to the late 1990s, Welch played with a number of teams, most recently the Senior Red Birds. He also played with Direct Employers II, U.S. Pallet, Budweiser and Chicago Classics, among others. 

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.