Obituaries: March 2026

March 1, 2026

Stan Suichta

Stanley D. Suichta, 80, of Evans, Colo., died peacefully on Feb. 20.

     Stan was a long-time player with Senior Softball USA, joining in the last 1990s. A resident of Colorado, he was very active in the Scrap Iron Senior Softball Association and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2008.

     “Stan was an avid softball player whose passion for the sport defined much of his life,” according to his online obituary. “His talent and dedication earned him induction into the National Senior Softball Hallof Fame in 2018 and the Colorado USSSA Hall of Fame in 2001.”

     "Stan loved the game of softball," said Don Carpenter, who played with Stan for many years, responding on behalf of Scrap Iron Ssenior Softball Association. "His final thoughts about softball were, 'Keep playing as long as you're healthy.'" Don added.

     Outside of senior softball, Stan served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. After the Army, he operated his own concrete company before working 19 years with the city of Evans, Colo.

     “Stan loved his dog Pepper and cat Spook, the Colorado Rockies, Denver Nuggets and Denver Broncos,” according to his obituary.

     He will best be remembered playing with Scrap Iron 60s and 65s, Scrap Iron/Phiten 65s, Scrap Iron 70 Legacy, Scrap Iron Legends 70s and 75s, Scrap Iron Diamonds 70s and Scrap Iron 80s, all from Colorado.

Bruce S. Tiso

Bruce Steven Tiso, 72, of Fairfax, Va., died on Jan. 3.

     Bruce was a long-time player with Senior Softball USA, joining in 2008 and was a loyal player with Northern Virginia Force team in the 60s, 65s and 70s division.

     “Bruce was an outstanding pitcher on many Force championship teams from 55 to 70's,” according to an obituary written by the Northern Virginia Force Softball Association.

     “Bruce was a perennial all-star and all-tournament selection,” added the Association’s obituary. “As a testament for his love for baseball, Bruce and his college buddies traveled to every Major League Baseball stadium to watch a game and to countless minor league stadiums.”

     Outside of senior softball, Bruce was a teacher of 35 years and was heavily involved in his local church. Known for his patience and kindness, he also bowled with a church group, and coached soccer and basketball.

     Before playing with Northern Virginia Force 55-70s with SSUSA, he briefly played with Austin Insurance 50s and IMS Dogs 50s, both out of Virginia.

Fray Candelaria

Fray Candelaria, 61, of El Paso, Tex., died on Jan. 1.

     Fray began playing with Senior Softball USA in 2016, and will be remembered primarily for playing with Team Trucha in the 50s and 55s age divisions, and eventually managing the team. More recently, he played with TX-NM Spurs (TX) in the 2025 season for the Land of Enchantment Championships in Albuquerque.

Mark Daniels

Mark Daniels, 71, of Henderson, Nev., died on July 10, 2025.

     Mark began playing with Senior Softball USA in the early 2010s. He eventually became manager of Fresh Poke, a Hawaiian team that he managed when the team was in the 60+ division.

     Before retiring from senior softball in 2019, he played with and managed No Ka Oi 70s, also from Hawaii, which means ‘the best’ in native Hawaiian.

Richard B. Stone

Richard Bartley Stone, 52, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died on April 18, 2025.

     Richard joined Senior Softball USA in 2022 after a long history playing ball and other sports.

     Upon moving to Fort Wayne at age 13, he “excelled in baseball and football; he was the varsity catcher and played defense/kicker for Wayne High School,” according to his online obituary.

     He continued to play ball after service in the U.S. Navy and had the chance to try out for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He always wore No. 25 to honor his little brother, Brian, who is also a SSUSA player on Richard’s last team, IronKlad, a 50+ Major team our of Indiana.

     Outside of senior softball and MLB tryouts, his career took some interesting turns after the Navy. He was a rodeo clown on the rodeo circuits and enjoy competing in strongman contest.

     Before playing with IronKlad, Richard will be remembered for playing with Red Boys 50s  and Impact Softball 50s, both based in Kentucky.