OBITUARIES - 4/30/18

April 1, 2018

Albert A. Vera

Al Vera, 82, from Las Vegas, a pioneer in senior softball nationally and one of the guiding forces of the Las Vegas Senior Softball Association (LVSSA) has died after an extended illness.

“Al Vera was instrumental in establishing the LVSSA - SSUSA partnership that led to the largest senior softball tournament in the world: the LVSSA/SSUSA World Masters Championships,” said Terry Hennessy, chief executive officer of SSUSA.

“Al was a calming and guiding force in the National Senior Softball Summit and continually worked to build the bridges between associations for the good of the sport and the players,” said Hennessy. “Al was a wonderful person and a good man. We will miss him.”

Vera became a member of LVSSA in 1994 after relocating to Las Vegas from Southern California, participating in open play at Lorenzi Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He began playing in senior softball tournaments in 1996.

In 2000, Vera was elected president of LVSSA and began laying the groundwork of what would become the largest senior softball tournament in the country, the LVSSA/SSUSA World Masters Championships, which hosted 612 teams in 2017.

“From the beginning of his affiliation with LVSSA until his untimely death, Al Vera’s heart was always with and will continue to be with LVSSA,” said David Barnes, a 2008 inductee into the LVSSA Hall of Fame.

A 2003 inductee into the LVSSA Hall of Fame, Vera served as the LVSSA delegate for the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame. He was also a longtime manager of D-99 (Men’s 70 and 75). Vera last participated in SSUSA in 2014, playing in the Spring World and LVSSSA/SSUSA Southwest Championships.

Merle O. Bunde on SSUSA Softball Tour to Mexico in 2008

Merle Bunde, 85, of Clear Lake City, Tex., died on March 4.

In SSUSA, Bunde was a longtime member of the Texas Classics, as well as Texans 75’s and Houston Golden Eagles. He last played in 2014 with Texas Classics in the Texas State Championships and Midwest Championships.

“Merle Bunde was one of the most dedicated, committed players I ever had the pleasure to coach,” said Chuck Towne, SSUSA Hall of Famer and manager of Texas Classics. “On the field, he always hustled and gave everything he had, always. As a person, he was a joy to be around. He was a dedicated family man and an outstanding father. His enthusiasm and vigor rubbed off. You couldn't help but smile when you were around Merle. He is deeply missed.”

Additionally, Bunde was also a member of SSUSA international tours.

“Merle played on several USA teams to promote slow-pitch softball in other countries and was not only a great teammate, but a wonderful ambassador for the sport,” said Terry Hennessy, SSUSA chief executive officer.

Bunde graduated from the University of North Dakota (BS) and received his MS at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served as a weather forecaster in the Air Force for nine years, and then moved to Houston to work for IBM programming the re-entry for NASA Apollo missions.

Marlo Michael Termini

Marlo Termini, 92, of Valley View, Ohio, died on March 18.

A member of the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame, Termini was enshrined in the Pioneer Player category as part of the Class of 2012. He was also inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame (Basketball and Softball) in 2001.

As a member of SSUSA, Termini played with Emerald City Jewelers 75 and Swanson Health Products 80.

Termini graduated from Holy Name High School, the University of Dayton, and Western Reserve University. He was a WWII Veteran serving in the US Army.

CLICK HERE to read an article on Termini that appeared in The Plain Dealer.

Darrell C. “Skip” Walker

Darrell Walker, 73, of Fort Collins, Col., died on April 1.

A longtime member of SSUSA, Walker played on numerous Scrap Iron Softball Clubs, most recently with Scrap Iron/3n2 at the Winter World Championships this past November.

“This past Easter Sunday, the Scrap Iron family lost a great player and person in Darrell ‘Skip’ Walker,” said Mike Massong, manager of Scrap Iron/3n2. “Skip had been battling pancreatic cancer for the past year. He is one of the finest outfielders I have ever played with, or coached. A true five-tool player, he played at the Major and Major Plus levels. The kind of guy that never complained, but just went out and did his job. His last tournament was last year in Phoenix and he played with our Scrap Iron 3n2 70 Major team. After a few games, he approached me and stated that he could not go back out to the outfield as the chemo and radiation he had been undergoing had drained him. He did not want to hurt his teams chance of winning. Skip did not sit on the bench. He went out every inning and coached third base. He did everything he could do to help his team win. This is the way Skip played softball, and the way he lived his life. Skip played on World Championship teams with Scrap Iron, won many MVP awards, and is now on the All-Tourney team in heaven.”

Along with Scrap Iron/3n2, Walker also played with Scrap Iron 70 Legacy, Scrap Iron 70 Red, Scrap Iron 65’s Redux, and Scrap Iron 65’s among others.

Steven Fletcher

Steven Fletcher, 67, of Las Vegas died on April 5.

2018 was going to be Fletcher’s first season of SSUSA play, as he was slated to play with Desert Heat (NV), Men’s 65 AA.

“Steve was a great guy, a super teammate, and a good ball player,” said John Mastroianni, manager of Desert Heat. “He anchored my outfield in our local Sunday league and was due to be my starting left fielder for the Las Vegas tournament (Southwest Championships). We will miss him in both league and tourney play.”

In memoriam
Connie Alcorn, 60, wife of Dale Alcorn (SSUSA Director)