Remembering a beloved Stratford umpire who died during a tournament
The Stratford community is mourning the death of a beloved umpire who died suddenly over the weekend, during a tournament.
Rick Rogers was well known for his passion for the game, his quirky sense of humour and generous spirit.
“His sense of humor was a little off-the-wall, kind of an acquired taste, but I loved every minute of it,” said Jamie Woodend, a long time friend of Rogers.
Just before the start of the championship game on Sunday, the unthinkable happened.
“Rick had gone to get dressed, get ready for the last game, and then he was found by some fellow umpires,” said Woodend.
On Tuesday night, family, friends and players from the U13 and U17 teams gathered for a ceremonial first pitch at Ann Hathaway Park in Stratford to remember their friend.
Rogers was always involved with the game, playing baseball and slow pitch throughout his life.
In 1999, a devastating motorcycle accident forced him to stop playing but he still fought his way back to the diamond.
“He couldn’t play but he wanted to stay involved in the game so he became and umpire and became quite good at it,” said Woodend.
Rogers spent years helping others and now his legacy will continue to do so as the Rick Rogers Memorial Fund has been established .
“Any donations given to that fund will go to help fund equipment for young umpires as they are starting out, which is quite an investment to become an umpire,” Woodend said.
In a couple of weeks, a tournament will be held in Aurora with teams from around the region and PEI.
“They’ve decided on their own that they have named it the Rick Rogers Memorial tournament,” said Woodend.
It’s a touching tribute to the man who died surrounded by the game he loved.
Rogers leaves behind his wife and two children.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.5294232.1725716403!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
They were due to leave for their dream cruise in May. Three months on they’re still stuck at the departure port
It was the years-long cruise that was supposed to set sail, but saw its departure postponed… postponed… and postponed again.
Ontario's first domestic case of human rabies since 1967 confirmed in Brant County
An Ontario resident remains in hospital after testing positive for rabies.
How to get a whole city to stop lawn watering? Experts say praise over punishment
For almost two weeks, a city of 1.6 million people has been told once again to stop watering lawns, take three-minute showers, hold off on laundry and dishes, and let the yellow in their toilets mellow.
4-year-old drowns in backyard pool on Montreal's South Shore
The lifeless body of a child was discovered in a residential swimming pool in Longueuil, on Montreal's South Shore, late on Friday afternoon.
Trudeau insists he's staying on as Liberal leader. But what if he changes his mind?
The Liberal caucus is set to meet in Nanaimo, B.C., next week for a retreat ahead of the fall parliamentary sitting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insists he will lead his party into the next election despite polls citing his unpopularity among Canadians. Here's a look at what would happen if he decided to call it quits.
Ridley Scott rebuilds Rome for 'Gladiator II'
Scott, Hollywood's perpetual rolling stone even at age 86, may be preparing to unveil 'Gladiator II,' one of his biggest epics yet, but at the moment he's got the Bee Gees on the brain. Scott is developing a biopic on the Gibb brothers. On a recent Zoom call from his office in Los Angeles, he was surrounded by meticulously plotted storyboards.
Two astronauts are left behind in space as Boeing's troubled capsule returns to Earth empty
Boeing's first astronaut mission ended Friday night with an empty capsule landing and two test pilots still in space, left behind until next year because NASA judged their return too risky.
Despite union protest, new hybrid work rules for federal employees kick in Monday
Public service unions will start the week with an early-morning rally opposing the policy. But despite the unions' 'summer of discontent' and an ongoing court challenge, the new rules will still kick in on Sept. 9.
Georgia school shooting suspect was troubled by a broken family, taunting at school, his father said
Both Colt, 14, and Colin Gray, 54, are charged in the killings of two students and two teachers Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, outside Atlanta.