OBITUARIES - 1/17/20

Jan. 1, 2020

Jerry E. Deal

Jerry Deal, 79, of Arlington, Texas, died on July 4.

A long-time member of SSUSA, Deal played most of his career with Texas Legends 55, 65 and 70.

Most recently in 2019, Deal played in the Texas State Championships with Hill Contracting 75 and in the Oil City Classic with Boyd Metals 70.

Deal served in the U.S. Army.

Frank Pati

Frank Pati, 84, of Cathedral City, Calif., died Nov. 15.

A senior softball pioneer, Pati was an avid player in both Palm Springs and Mesquite, Nev., where he earned the affectionate nickname of “Mr. Senior Softball.”

In 2013, Pati was named as the first Nevada Senior Citizen of the Year for creating and managing the Mesquite Senior Games, which brought track and field, basketball, softball, archery and tennis to area seniors.

Along with the Mesquite Senior Games, Pati was also instrumental in creating The Winter Classic, Can-Am Tournament and Spring Rurals, as well as helping to bring the SSUSA Spring World Championships the Mesquite.

“Frank Pati was a driving force in developing senior softball in Mesquite and the Southwest,” said Terry Hennessy, SSUSA chief executive officer. “He worked selflessly to provide the opportunity for hundreds of seniors to play ball.”

Pati retired from active playing at age 80.

Within SSUSA, Pati played with Davis & Associates, Scrap Iron Gray Berets, D-99, and Mesquite Seniors, which he also managed, to name a few.

Lawrence B. Blankenship

Larry Blankenship, 95, of La Mesa, Calif., died on Nov. 24.

Blankenship began playing senior softball in 1991, where he was a long-time director, manager, player, mentor, confidant, and good friend to many in the La Mesa and Dana Senior Softball Leagues.

His teams have won many league championships along with a gold medal in the Senior Olympics. Larry’s Tuesday morning Blankenship Team is the current defending League Champion of the “AAA” Division, and Larry’s teams overall, have won four League Championships and taken four other runner-up finishes out of the last 10 seasons.

He would be seen out most mornings doing field maintenance and his duties with uniforms and equipment.

A World War II veteran, Blankenship joined the Navy in 1941, and served 23 years in the hospital corps where he retired as a chief petty officer.

While in the Navy, Blankenship served at several hospitals and on several ships around the world, including the USS Benevolence, which sank in August 1950. He spent over three hours in the water assisting in the rescue of other members of the crew. During his time serving, Blankenship was awarded nine medals and had six engagements in Korea, along with six good conduct awards.

Carl Gustafson, SSUSA Southern California director and member of the SSUSA Rules Committee, dedicated his column, Carl’s Corner, in the 2019 Winter Edition of Senior Softball News, to Larry Blankenship.

Jon H. Bryan

Jon Bryan, 84, of Goldthwaite, Texas, died on Nov. 28.

Within SSUSA, Bryan was a long-time member of Texans 70s and 75s. He most recently played in 2014 with Hill Contracting 75 at the Texas State Championships.

Bryan earned an All-Tournament selection in 2007 with Texans 70 while playing in Softball Players Association.

Bryan’s late wife, Layla, was also heavily involved in senior softball, being inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame in 2004 in the Woman Director category.

Bryan was a graduate of the University of Houston and a veteran of the US Army.

Ken Perez

Ken Perez, 64, of Oceanside, Calif., died on Jan. 11.

While playing in a tournament at the Diamond Valley Sports Complex in Hemet, Perez fielded the third out of an inning and was running in from left field when he collapsed unconscious to the ground. Several players, along with two nurses, attempted to revive him for about twenty minutes, before an ambulance arrived. Medical personnel attempted defibrillation and injections to re-start his heart. Peres was taken to a local hospital where medical staff continued attempts to revive him, without success.

Perez played the last three seasons (2017-2019) with Weakend Warriors 60, and was set to manage the new Weakend Warriors 65 team in 2020.

Perez began playing SSUSA in 2010 in the 55’s division with Top Gun III and Titans.

He also would go on to play with Top Gun Thunder 50, Git-R-Done 55, and Grant’s Posse 60.

“Kenny loved our league, he loved playing softball, and, literally, he gave his heart to the sport he loved,” said Jim Dionne, Commissioner of the North County Senior Softball Competitive Division. “Kenny totally and completely lived for the spirit of sports competition. We will miss a wonderfully competitive teammate and our very close friend.”