M. Lee ''Coach'' Lanzarotta Obituary (1933 - 2002)

M. Lee "Coach" Lanzarotta OGDEN - M. Lee "Coach" Lanzarotta, a valiant and loving but injured heart went extra innings, but on May 5, 2002 strike three was finally called. Our beloved husband, dad, grandpa and great grandpa left us heart broken but proud he was ours. Lee was born on Feb 5, 1933 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Lee and Sarah Porto Lanzarotta. His family had immigrated to America from Sicily. He attended Western Hills High School in Cincinnati where he excelled in baseball, football and track. Lee joined the Navy in 1950 and served in Korea and later Viet Nam. He married LaVonne Blackstone July 22, 1957 in Colorado. They have three sons. He loved the Navy and the sea but after a heart attack retired as a Radarman 1st Class Petty Officer. They moved to Utah but were later divorced. Shortly after coming to Ogden he became the American Legion Post 9 baseball coach and through the 70's and early 80's took his team to the state tournament every year. He was chosen Northern Utah All-Star coach for several years. He was also a professional baseball scout for the Major League Scouting Bureau for 14 years. Lee met Carolyn Champneys at a Legion convention in 1972 and were married July 12, 1979 at Lake Tahoe, NV. With our marriage he acquired four more sons and two daughters. The Scouting Bureau transferred him to San Diego in 1982 and we lived there until he retired in 1987. At one time he had at least one player on every team in the major leagues that he had drafted. We returned to Utah and he reorganized the legion team for Post 9. This would have been his 33rd year as coach and manager. He received great satisfaction from frequent letters and phone calls from former players thanking him and updating him on their lives. Over the years he has coached over 1000 young men and now has many 2nd generation players. He worked for Culligan Water Systems for ten years. Lee and his wife Carolyn have traveled extensively since his retirement. He is survived by his loving wife, Carolyn; sons, Chuck, Mike (Gay), Joe (Shari) Lanzarotta; Gary Thomas, Curtis (Kati), Greg (Vickie) and Kent (Ijal) Champneys; daughters, Carla Finn and Cheryl (Frank) Casebolt. He has 26 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. His brother, Tony (Shirley) Lanzarotta of Virginia; and a sister-in-law, DeLacy Ripplinger. His beloved mother-in-law, Margaret Chavis; many nieces and nephews; and his loving little dogs, Tibby and Elsa. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Andy Lanzarotta; sister, Evelyn Grande; and sister-in-law, Donna Wilcox. VisitationMyers Mortuary - Ogden 100 Monroe Blvd. Ogden, UT 84404 May 9, 2002 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM ServiceSt. Joseph's Catholic Church 514 24th Street Ogden, UT 84401 May 10, 2002 10:00 AM CemeteryMyers Evergreen Memorial Park 100 Monroe Blvd. Ogden, UT 84404 May 10, 2002