Spevak: Four local educators worthy of admiration we have recently lost

Educators — teachers, coaches and administrators — are often lost in the swirl of living. But when we lose educators in death who have given their lives to their students, we understand their importance and miss their presence.

So it is with the deaths of four educators this past month--Tom Scheidt, Robert Butler, Joe Bondi and Larry Goodger--four men I knew, respected and revered.

Tom Scheidt was a teacher, coach, counselor and administrator in Dos Palos and Merced, who died much too young, at age 72—suddenly and unexpectedly.

Earlier this summer Tom was in the prime of health, easily able to actively participate in a fishing trip to Alaska. Then, out of the blue, he suffered a brain aneurysm during his trip, so serious that he almost died a few days later in an Alaskan hospital. He made what his doctors called a miraculous recovery and was stable enough to be airlifted back to his hometown of Merced.

Tom was on the road to what his doctor thought would be eventually a complete recovery, but, suddenly and unexpectedly again, he had a heart attack and died.

Although I hadn’t seen him for years, I knew Tom well, from the time he and I worked together on the westside of Merced County. Tom was an administrator then at Dos Palos High School, collaborating with a superb team that included Ernie Wall, Nihla Maron and Sharon Azevedo.

During that time I developed a deep respect and admiration for Tom. He had previously been the Dos Palos High School football coach for 11 years, winning many games and several championships.

Tom didn’t fit the stereotype back then of ex-coaches who were often gruff and curt. Rather, he was as congenial a person as I’ve ever known, always welcoming

I’m just one of hundreds, probably thousands, of persons whose lives he affected positively. Each has a story about how much Tom meant to them.

Robert Butler was known to his students at Los Banos High School and the Los Banos Campus of Merced College as “Mr. Butler.” He lived a long and full life, until the age of 97.

Robert had a personality that was quite different from Tom Scheidt’s. He was much quieter and more introverted. But like Tom, Robert was a dedicated teacher. Mr. Butler taught a subject many students initially dislike—mathematics—in a kind and engaging way.

Like Tom, Robert was a person of great faith. His wife Dorothy, who passed away in 2012, served for many years as a teacher and principal at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Los Banos, and Robert supported her in all of her work and accompanied her to Mass each week at St. Joseph’s Church.

Robert and Dorothy raised a wonderful family of eight children, who grew up to have successful lives. I enjoyed being in the company of the Butler family, and I admired Robert and Dorothy’s mutual dedication to education, to helping students succeed.

Joe Bondi was athletic director at Los Banos High School, coached football there for 34 years and was inducted into the high school’s athletic hall of fame in 2013. He was one of the most approachable guys I’ve ever met.

I spent a lot of time around the Los Banos High gymnasium, since all three of my kids played sports there. Joe came to many basketball games and volleyball matches and always greeted me warmly.

He was a competitor, no doubt about it. He loved to win. But he also believed in sportsmanship--playing the game the right way.

And he had a great smile, always with a good word for me and my wife Susan about our children. More than anything else, he cared about the young men and women who were students and athletes at Los Banos High.

It may seem strange to some people for me to put Larry Goodger in the category of educators, since he was best known as the congenial owner of Larry’s Shell station on the corner of Pacheco Boulevard and I Street.

But he was also a superb coach and teacher. He’s most obvious coaching involved soccer. A gifted player himself, he knew the game well and taught it to kids, from young children in a College for Kids sports camp to high school students with exceptional talent.

He was also a teacher in other ways, a person of good humor and great faith who taught by example, giving so much of his time to his church and his community. He was a guy who made people in his presence feel appreciated and, yes, loved. And the person he loved most was his amazing wife, Dorlie.

I can no longer say to Tom, Robert, Joe and Larry how much I appreciated, admired and respected them. However, their dedication reminds me of the many educators in Los Banos and Dos Palos still dedicating their lives and working hard to help young people succeed.

I can still tell these educators how much I appreciate them. And in remembrance of Tom, Robert, Joe and Larry, I will make it a point to thank them more often.

John Spevak wrote this for the Los Banos Enterprise. His email is john.spevak@gmail.com.

This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 4:34 PM.