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December 2016

Dr. Bob Shack, Short Hills, N.J.

On Christmas Eve, New Jersey handball lost a special person when Dr. Bob Shack, 73, passed away in Short Hills, N.J., due to a nervous system disorder.
Dr. Shack was a member of the North Jersey Handball League championship Orange ‘A’ teams which won four consecutive titles during the 1970s.   He also partnered with Joe Thomas to win a number of John Sabo Memorial New Jersey Handball Doubles championships in masters and golden masters divisions.
More importantly, he helped many New Jersey handball players with their medical conditions. Dr. Shack was a surgeon at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ,  and he referred players to the best specialists he knew in New Jersey and New York City. 

Estelle Hirsch Aber, Los Gatos, CA.
(Sep. 10, 1919 – Dec. 23, 2016)

Estelle was born in New York but moved to California in 1948, living mostly in San Jose.  She is survived by her two son’s Michael (predeceased by Valerie Galey), Jeffrey (Janice), grandson Joshua (Brooke) and two great-grandchildren Hudson and Lily.  She was happily married to Sol Aber (a USHA Grand Master) for 67 years who passed in 2008.  She enjoyed her time with their many friends traveling, especially to handball tournaments with Sol, playing pan and mahjong and working her crossword puzzles.  While her body was failing, her mind and spirit remained sharp.  In lieu of flowers please make a donation to a charity of your choice .

November 2016

Ross Willis, Blacksburg, VA.
On November 14th, Ross Willis of Blacksburg, VA, had just finished several great handball games with his Blacksburg friends at the handball courts on the VA Tech campus when he collapsed and died walking to his car.  Ross was a well known player in the Blacksburg/Roanoke area.  Ross was 63 years old and had retired in 2015 after working in VA Tech’s Biochemistry Department for 35 years.   

Patrick Gerald McVey, St. Louis, MO.
(Aug. 18, 1959 – Nov. 9, 2016)

    Pat McVey, 57, lifelong handball player and member of the St. Louis Hinder Club was murdered November 9th enroute to his club for a SLHC League match.  Pat was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds around 6 p.m. when a MoDOT worker spotted his car parked on the shoulder of I-55 and stopped to investigate. Police say he had been shot about 2:30 p.m. The shooter is still unknown and Crime Stoppers (1-866-371-8477 for Tips or Donations) is offering rewards upwards of $60,000 for information.
Pat loved the “Perfect Game” but played only locally, devoting his life to family and his restaurant, “Maggie O’Brien’s Restaurant & Irish Pub”. A St. Louis native, Pat had been at Maggie’s more than three decades, working under the original owner before eventually taking over with younger brother Eddie. The sprawling sports bar and restaurant is host to Missouri State Handball Tournaments in addition to being a favorite of Blues and Cards fans.  Pat was a gifted athlete, sportsman, and true gentleman.  He delighted in helping others and was always willing to spend time with new players and will be fondly remembered by the St. Louis Handball community.
Pat is survived by his wife Marianne, daughter Maggie, son Michael, and 10 siblings.

October 2016

Ed McHugh, Pittsburgh, PA.

Pittsburgh handball tragically lost its all-time favorite player on October 20, 2016, when Ed McHugh, DDS passed away at the age of 58. Ed was a rising star during the 1970’s & 1980′ s, the golden age of Pittsburgh handball, when the Pittsburgh Handball Association boasted over 150 locally ranked players. Always a threat to local legends Rick Abrams, Mike Flaherty, Ken Foster, Bob Nell, Mark Abranovic, Tom Feola, Rod Fink, Tom Cornelius, Steve Mele, Jim Sanders and David Fink, Ed broke through in the early 90s, laying claim to Pittsburgh’s #1 ranking.
Ed’s gentlemanly, laid-back manner, both on and off the court, belied his intense competitiveness, where his stamina, retrieving ability and complete ambidexterity often had his opponents looking for oxygen half way through the first game.  It appeared that Ed would intentionally pass up kill opportunities just to run his opponents into the ground. But Ed’s demeanor never wavered-polite and always exhibiting excellent sportsmanship. Outside the court, Ed displayed quiet character and dignity, an excellent hard-working dentist and role model to his beloved son, Joey.
It was, however, in open doubles where Ed’s dominate left hand frustrated nationally recognized teams both at home and away – notching signature wins in Cleveland, Sharon, PA, Youngstown, Albany and Penn State – as well as the prestigious Pittsburgh Open. Always humble, Ed would often say after each Open title, “I  have no idea why they kept serving to Jeff (Roth); he’s the better player.”
Ed was the son of legendary handballer, Joe McHugh, who together with Eleanor, raised a fine gentleman and friend to all who had the privilege to spend time with him in our little world.

Rodney Fink
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July 2016

Jeff Boyd, Rochester, NY.

    Jeff Boyd passed away on July 11th, 2016 at the age of 71 as a result of cardiac arrest in Butner, North Carolina. Born on January 23rd, 1945 in Buffalo, New York, he grew up in nearby East Aurora and later moved to Front Royal, Virginia. As a contract computer programmer with months- to year-long contracts for companies from Intel to Raytheon, he lived in many cities: Baltimore, Portland, Cedar Rapids, Colorado Springs, and Rochester, among others.
Jeff constantly questioned, wanting to better understand the fundamentals of math and physics on one hand and how society could be better constructed to fulfill people’s potential on the other. But for a balanced life, another passion was handball. In each city in which he lived he was part of the handball community and developed many strong friendships. He is survived by his brother, Tom, children, Tim, Toddie, Jennifer, Oliver, Diana, and Sam, 11 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren and will be missed by both family and friends.   

Joel Jones, Durango, CO.

     Joel Jones, a fellow player, benefactor, and friend to many in our handball fraternity has passed. Joel loved handball and played for many years in Albuquerque and Durango. He was a strong supporter of the handball camps conducted over the years in Durango by Pete Tyson, John Bike and others.  He often hosted receptions for campers at his home. Joel fought the good fight against the Big C with the same determination he brought to the handball court.

Vince Breining, San Francisco

     The handball world lost a good man and great friend on July 5.  Vince Breining, 63, was instrumental in Golden Gate Park Handball tournaments for many years.  Vince learned handball at the “Park,” and became one of the top right side doubles players in the Bay Area.  Over the years, Breining partnered and won with Mike Treacy, Mike Kelly and Gary Stedman.  Unfortunately, diabetes and a shoulder injury took him off the court but didn’t diminish his enthusiasm for the game or its players.  Always upbeat and a pleasure to spend time with, Vince will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

May 2016

Art Pruitt, Flint, MI

    Art Pruitt, age 83, passed away Friday, May 13, 2016 at Hurley Medical Center.  Art was a longtime handball player in Michigan who played and supported many four-wall and three-wall tournaments.  Read Charlie Doyle’s “My Friend Art” tribute HERE. 

Ed Rice, Wilmington, DE.

    Ed Rice, winner of many local and regional tournaments representing the Wilmington YMCA, died May 8 at 99.  Ed was the captain of the Y handball team in the Mason/Dixon League.  He also organized the “First State Doubles” at the YMCA that drew many of the best players in East during the 60s and 70s.

April 2016

Vince Magi, Detroit, MI.

Vince Magi died on April 21, 2016. Vince took up handball to develop hand eye coordination and stamina as an outfielder on the Michigan State Baseball Team. It obviously helped. He later was at the top level in the Minnesota Twins Farm Club System as an outfielder Unfortunately the Twins had Harmon Killibrew, Jim Lemon and another great outfielder ahead of him.  In college he’d discussed after college careers with Mike Ilitch a teammate. Mike was talking Pizza, Mike? Pizza? No, no, you want to go into something solid, steady like teaching advised Vince. So Vince went into teaching and Mike went into Pizza—think Little Caesers.  Vince played at many handball venues and gathered many honors highlighted by the 1981 National Golden Masters Doubles Three Wall Championship.

January 2016

Gabe Enriquez, Los Angeles

            Gabe Enriquez, a member of the SCHA and LAAC Handball Halls of Fame passed away in January 2016.  Gabe was survived by his wife Luz and brother Miguel.  A great player, a great mentor and promoter of the game, Gabe’s memory will live on in the fabled LAAC.

Ronald Miller, Albany, NY

    Ronald H. Miller, 76, whose big heart, easy manner and devotion to public service endeared him to disparate communities of friends and family members in the Capital Area and beyond, died early Saturday, January 23, 2016, at St. Peter’s Hospital. Wearing with pride the distinctive accent of his native Bronx, Miller was a 45 year resident of the Albany area, most of that time in Menands.  Among his lifelong passions, Miller was an avid handball player, expert in the indoor four wall game. He took First Place in the 1986 Capital District Handball Championships, and acquired generations of handball friends, and in recent years, doubles partners – through his active involvement in the Court Club in Colonie.