Senior Softball Hall of Famer Charles “Chuck” Towne, 83, Dies

Aug. 1, 2020

Chuck Towne, 83, of Houston, Tex., died on Aug. 9.

Towne was inducted into the Texas Senior Softball Hall of Fame in 2004, and in 2015, was inducted into the Senior Softball-USA International Hall of Fame in the Manager Category.

Additionally, Towne was heavily involved in the Harris County Senior Softball League for 27 years, as a player, manager and board member.

Towne’s senior softball career spans over three decades, beginning with the Houston Texans 50s. During that time, Towne’s teams won various national and regional championships, including the LVSSA/SSUSA World Masters Championship in 2015 with his Texas Classics 80s team.

Along with playing stateside, Towne was a global ambassador for senior softball. From 1994-2015, Towne participated in 21 international tours, competing in 21 countries. He also managed seven of those international teams.

Towne spent most of his overseas tours in Japan, competing for the Japanese National Championship on eight occasions, winning three times (2000, 2001 and 2010). To go with his team accolades, Towne also collected various personal awards such as Best Offensive Player and MVP.

Towne’s last international championship victory was in 2013 at the Pacific Rim Championships in Beijing, China.

"I've played with Chuck in more countries than I can count, including for several years in Japan," said Terry Hennessy, SSUSA chief executive officer. "He not only had one of the finest softball minds, but was an exceptionally talented player.

"He was the best possible combination of skill and social grace in our international competitions," continued Hennessy. "As a result, he helped generate a love for the sport in other countries, because they were so impressed with his love and mastery of the game."