Story from Don O.

I always called John our Racquetball Tournament Director at the Euless Rec Center. He was our organizer. He’s the one that started the google group that connected us all and he was usually the first one to reserve a court for our games every week. He got them to sweep the floors, add locks to the courts, take the locks off after they stopped working, and even convinced them to set up an online reservation system. That was all John. When we finished a game, John would usually suggest who should play next. That’s why I started calling him our Tournament Director. He was a fierce competitor who loved the game. Sometimes, when he was behind in a game, he’d get this look in his eye and you knew he was about to come storming back.

John was also our main “recruiter”. Anyone he met was a new friend and many of those new friends became members of our racquetball circle. Most didn’t stay long, but a few stuck and are still playing with us today. Anytime someone new joined the group it was almost always because of John.

John was someone you could count on. He usually came to play directly from work. Sometimes he would get hung up at the last minute with customers or management. If he was going to be late, he’d call and let you know. If you had already left, he would call the Rec center and ask them to find you to let you know. That courtesy and kindness was something I always appreciated. Of course sometimes he would finish work a bit early and call to let you know he was on his way and ready to play early.

One funny thing about John was how much he hated the “out of court” rule. There is a track around the top of the racquetball courts and the wall is open at the upper 5 feet or so. That means if the ball is poorly hit, it can go out of the court and onto the track or fall down to the basketball courts. That delayed the game as you had to go upstairs or hunt around to find the lost ball. John was particularly adept at hitting it out of the court during play and it really bugged him that it counted against him. He always thought we should just play it over, but the rules of racquetball clearly state that it is an “out”. He started calling it “Don’s Rule” and I always referred to it as “John’s Rule”. It got so anytime he hit it out we’d all just start laughing. I suspect the racquetball courts in heaven will have a solid back wall all the way to the ceiling. If not, I am sure John will fix that!

When I first met John he was a very inexperienced player. It took him a few years, but he steadily improved. In the last few years beating him has been a real challenge. I am going to miss his friendship and the fun of playing with him. My deepest sympathies go out to Ryane and his girls.

Don O.