Coupeville Sports

Bob Engle

God bless the farmers.

They built this town and it is their legacy that makes Coupeville what it is today.

It’s a Sunday afternoon and time for the 19th class to be inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, but I want to take a detour.

It is only a small tribute to a mountain of a man, but today, as his family, friends and community mourn his passing, I am inducting Bob Engle.

He and his wife, Cheryl, were among the first to support my efforts with this blog.

Their check was appreciated, but, even more so, the note of encouragement that came with it will always mean a lot to me.

It hangs on the wall above my computer where I write my ramblings.

I like to think it, along with the other letters, notes and words it sits among, guide me as I go forward, trying to honor Coupeville’s past while celebrating the new memories, sports and otherwise, which are being crafted here each day.

Mr. Engle was a throw-back to a time when you worked hard and you worked every day, but you always had time for your family.

He was related to 99.2% of the town (or at least it feels that way) and a quick glimpse at Facebook shows his impact — both on his relatives and those who he made feel like they were part of his family.

His wife is one of the most genuinely sweet people I have ever met, and that carried down through their children and grandchildren.

There wouldn’t be a Coupeville Sports, or a need for one, without the trio of McKayla, McKenzie and Mollie Bailey — my photo bomb queens #1, #2 and #3 — and I know every time we ran a photo of them, every time they fired a fastball or put away a kill, their grandpa smiled.

Bob Engle’s life touched every part of Cow Town. He made us a better town for his presence, for his dedication, his hard work and love for the land and his neighbors.

It is an honor to add him to my silly little Hall, but he never needed that.

He was already in all of our hearts, and that will remain true forever.