Remembering those we lost – part 2

In our second January column, Memories of Sport remembers more athletes, builders, and officials who died in 2025.

Curling historian Rick Mutton provided a list of deaths from the world of curling. A 2002 Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame inductee, Winston Warren curled for Canadian senior and masters champions and won provincial titles in four different categories. A 2020 HOF inductee, Ernie Oliver was a provincial stick-curling champion who was instrumental in promoting that version of the sport. Ken Sabad curled for a Canadian masters championship team from Souris in 2005.

Lorraine Byrnes, June Reece, Ken Davis, Roy Gorkoff Jr., Ray Machan, Myles Olmstead and Gordon Walker won provincial titles. Beryl Fallis served as the Manitoba Ladies Curling Association president in 1991-92 and became an honorary life member. Albert Bazinet, Evelyn Green, Ken Holland, Bart Jenner, and Wendell Keeler were other life members. Keeler also served as a director of the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame and Museum.

The softball community lost builders Al Mayer and George McBride. Mayer, a 2003 Manitoba Softball HOF inductee, coached or managed 15 different teams over a more than three-decade period and was instrumental in the formation of the junior Winnipeg Colonels team which won six consecutive provincial championships. A 2008 HOF inductee, McBride was a leader in men and women playing softball on the same team when he formed the Winnipeg Adult Coed Softball League, later the Winnipeg Adult Mixed Fastball League. The pioneer of the mixed game served as president for 23 seasons. McBride also hosted a sports show on cable TV for many years.

Ruby (Hoski) Ingram played for the CUAC Blues, which won the Western Canada women’s softball championship in 1957, and was the Winnipeg Senior League co-MVP in 1962 with CPAC Falconettes. She also was an accomplished basketball player. Don McLean was an all-star in both junior and senior basketball, whose play earned induction into the provincial basketball HOF in 1994.

Larry Marquardson, who coached basketball, football and volleyball in the Winnipeg school system for more than 30 years, was inducted into the basketball HOF as a builder in 2017. Legendary Oak Park Raiders coach Stu Nixon entered the football shrine in 2023. Brian Johnson played for the 1971 Winnipeg Hawkeyes, who won the Little Grey Cup emblematic of the Canadian juvenile championship. Sisler High School lineman Darius Hartshorne died after suffering a neck injury in a game against the Tec Voc Hornets. Craig Smith was a national scout for the Blue Bombers.

Neil Avery, who died tragically in Mexico in February, played for the CPAC team that won the 1965 Western Canada Little Canadian Baseball Championship. The team was inducted into the Manitoba Baseball HOF in 2014. Avery also was a long-time hockey referee. Lyle Wilcox played for the Plum Coulee Pirates inducted into the HOF in 2002 and was a founding member of the Morse Place Flashbacks senior slo-pitch team. After his major league career, Jeff Bittiger pitched for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1995.

Terry More, who was inducted into the Manitoba Golf HOF in 2017, was a provincial junior and men’s champion, who represented Manitoba nationally on five Willingdon Cup teams. Eff Mason was a club champion at Assiniboine, Breezy Bend and St. Charles and a member of the Manitoba senior ladies team in 1983. Gerald Levin was an internationally ranked polo player, who served as treasurer of the Canadian Polo Association. Kathie Birt won the Canadian National Women’s C Division Racquetball Championship in 1983. Bob Parnell was a Canadian junior speed skating champion.

Bill Metzler, who won four Manitoba firefighter curling titles, served as president of the provincial association and VP of the Canadian Fire Fighters Curling Association. He became a CFFCA life member in 1998. Larry Wah was an outstanding trapshooter. Dave Corbett was a Manitoba snowmobile racing champion. Randy Pruden and Rod Frisken were pool sharks. Garth Simonson, who was 101 when he passed, was a Canoe Club member for decades where he was a club champion in golf and a top badminton player.

Rugby lost Manitoba Rugby Hall of Fame members Ron Enberg and Bob Rialland.

Buck Tiderman was inducted into the Ringette HOF as a builder in 2000 and served as president of a 40-plus slo-pitch league in Transcona for more then 20 years. Marie (Sigurdson) Hughes coached figure skating for 40 years after her professional career. Other builders of note who passed in 2025 include Lillian Atamanchuk – bowling; Rick Ball – horse racing; Suzanne Gendron – speed skating; and Ron Roccola – archery. Officials who passed included Jack McClintock – badminton; Lionel Baryluk – boxing; Barbara Hamill – golf; Eric Pele – speed skating; and Bob Jackson – swimming.