BOB MATTOS LEAVES FOND MEMORIES. His battle with brain cancer is over, but few men (especially those who have given so much to Orestimba High School and this community) will be remembered with such fondness and emotion as former football coach, OHS teacher and community swimming coach as Bob Mattos. He leaves behind a great family and players and students who can’t say enough about their mentor, friend and coach. From his younger days as a lifeguard and recreational swim coach to his leadership on the football field, Mattos (he is a distant cousin) provided the kind of inspiration and encouragement that only blesses a handful of coaches. He turned that inspiration instilled in his players into championships wherever he went; Newman, Stockton, Turlock, Sacramento and beyond…..When you played for him, you couldn’t play hard enough. When he talked about physical education classes, you couldn’t wait to get out there and play soccer, football, basketball; he excited students of all ages, and I saw it firsthand.

While we consider him a local student who went on to bigger and better things, that is also the way his high school players in Turlock and Stockton think of him. And the guys who played for him at Sacramento State University admired and adored him as well. They played their hearts out last year at the Causeway Classic at UC Davis, where every Sacramento player wore a jersey with “Mattos” on the back. Bob watched the game from his home in Rancho Murrieta with his wife, Maureen, and his good friends. He was speechless when he saw the jerseys. He talked with many of the men he coached that day.

His final months of life were difficult, to say the least, but he was an amazing example of courage and inspiration until the end. His enduring presence will be with his family and friends, and certainly the players who will never forget what he taught them about life and living.

CROW A LEADER IN MANY WAYS. From farming to skiing to community service, Jim Crow was a leader. He passed, last week, but not before he taught us about living, loving and giving. He lived a robust life where he contributed to an exhaustive list of agricultural groups and organizations, service clubs and the ski patrol at Dodge Ridge. He was full of life, and loved every part of what he did. As a member of Newman Rotary with Jim, he participated in every activity where the club built projects, donated money to charities and gave back in so many ways. As an agriculturist, the Crow name was in many ways attributed to him and his lifelong work. And as a veteran, Jim was devoted to his country and the values instilled by his parents. And he loved his family who will miss him very much as will his friends and colleagues throughout the Central Valley.

OTTO QUITE A GUY. It’s not every day you get the chance to write about your father-in-law, but Otto Coelho was no ordinary guy. His passing this week leaves a void throughout his family, because he wasn’t only a dad and grandfather, but a man of principle who cared deeply about his church and community, and he wouldn’t let go of the life he led so well till he just couldn’t go any more. Over the years, his love for agriculture (it’s fitting that our Ag Day tab comes out today) and his church were paramount. He knew more about tractors than I, frankly, know about newspapers. And his strong will kept him motivated and alive through prostate cancer, heart disease and a stroke. In fact his final years were spent relatively happy, and his verbose nature never left. What set him apart from many was his eternal happiness. I never saw him mad, except when his children would ask him who was his favorite! The last thing he said to me was “Bill, you’re bald!” I think he knew that, but just wanted to rub it in as his sons and daughter watched. They are blessed with locks a plenty! So it is fitting today that Otto is remembered along with two other fine men whose communities and families came first.