Ben Legere and The Meaning of Life

Wednesday evening, long time San Francisco youth sports official passed away suddenly at the age of 77. The sudden passing of Legere caused a lot of former athletes, coaches and others toreminisce fondly about the man simply known as "Benny".

Here are some links to several of my own items plus one news feature and one tribute from CYO on Ben Legere:

The passing of Ben Legere - SF CYO loses an original

Longtime sports official Ben Legere passes away at the age of 77

SF CYO Tribute to Ben Legere

KPIX-5 feature on Ben Legere

While many people (including myself) are saddened by the passing of Ben Legere, I found the timing very interesting. It caused to think that perhaps Legere's passing was meant to be and served a higher purpose.

A friend of mine had given me a spiritual book sometime last year. The book was a fascinating read but I won't rehash all the subject matter discussed in the book.

The pertinent line in the book that I thought applied to Legere was:

"When you accomplish what you have been sent here to accomplish, then your life will be ended. But not before then".

Legere had dedicated nearly his entire adult life to San Francisco Youth athletics. Many people on websites such as Facebook and others shared many memories of Legere and how he helped in various sporting activities through the years.

In recent years, I believe Legere felt under appreciated despite his past accomplishments. I don't have any proof of this but it was a just a feeling I got whenever I officiated or talked with Legere.

However, two things occurred which ensured Legere was recognized for all his contributions to San Francisco youth athletics:

1. Legere was inducted into the San Francisco CYO sports Hall of Fame in 2008
2. KPIX-5 in San Francisco interviewed Legere and had a feature on his 50+ years officiating about a month ago.

As I mentioned in my other blog posting, I saw and talked to Legere the day the feature was supposed to air. I had not talked to him in a long time so it was good to catch up. I found him to be very relaxed, happy and upbeat. After finding out that the KPIX-5 feature was going to air, I realized why Legere was happy.

When the news of Legere's passing was confirmed, I was shocked. After all, a whole new generation of people has been introduced to Legere and his accomplishments over the years through the news feature. I thought it was too bad that future generations of athletes would not get to see Legere officiate games again.

However, when I take a step back and think about the book quote I noted earlier, everything fell into place. I now believe that Legere had accomplished all that he could have done in this life and that it was his time to go. The Hall of Fame induction and the KPIX-5 news feature were the final chapter in the life of Ben Legere. They ensured no one would forget what Legere has accomplished over the years.

I do not know the whole story of Legere's passing. However, according to what I've read, Legere passed away while heading home after umpiring a baseball game. If that is the case, then Legere went out the way I think he would have wanted. He went out after doing something he loved. Not many people can say that.

Rest in Peace Benny. You will be missed!