The days following Thomas Jefferson High School coach Joe Townsend’s death were somber in the Federal Way and local baseball communities.
Townsend, who died April 29 at age 52, exemplified leadership and impact on and off the field. Whether you played baseball with him as a player or as a teammate, his presence was one that people gravitated toward.
Players, coaches and parents in the baseball community have been reminiscing about what Townsend meant to them.
Even current Seattle Mariners Manager Dan Wilson had formed a relationship with Townsend. The two worked together in the Baseball Beyond Borders organization.
“Joe Townsend impacted so many different communities in our region,” Wilson said. “At work, through his baseball involvement with Baseball Beyond Borders (BBB) and with his commitment to the community at large, Joe was a mentor to so many youth. His wit, his humor and his life experience all served to help shape and mold me and so many others. A dear friend and a humble leader, Joe will be dearly missed,” Wilson said through Tim Hevly, Mariners vice president of communication, in a statement to The Federal Way Mirror.
On May 1, a candlelight vigil and balloon release brought together nearly 400 people in Townsend’s honor at Thomas Jefferson. Teammates, players and close friends shared memories and experiences from the past.
After the news of his death, the baseball community was shaken to its core. Townsend was scheduled to play Todd Beamer High School the day following his death. That game was cancelled, but the other local high schools, Federal Way and Decatur took to the field on April 30.
Federal Way skipper Ron Sherwin and Decatur assistant coach Mike Holloway both had personal friendships with Townsend and paid tribute before their contest.
“Very shortly after hearing the news, I knew we had to do something. He had been such a close friend of mine and the close comrade of the coaching community put him right in the center of it. When you saw him coming around the corner onto the field, you were happy that you were there,” Sherwin said.
Sherwin gave a pregame speech to parents and spectators and honored Townsend with a Federal Way #25 jersey hanging up. Townsend was a sergeant in the U.S. Army — a well-organized and methodical man who would always hang up his jersey pregame, and once he finished warming up, he would take his neat-pressed jersey and suit up.
“He was a guy I didn’t see all the time, but I missed him,” Sherwin said.
Townsend’s last game was against Federal Way on April 28. Townsend and Sherwin spent time together when the park cleared out, just like they always had. His last words to Sherwin will echo in his mind for a long time.
“Monday after we played, he and I lingered and chatted like we always do. The last thing he said to me was ‘I’ll see you soon.’ Wow. I took that for granted,” Sherwin said.
On the Decatur sideline, before the Gators took the field ahead of the game, first base coach Mike Holloway handed out a sweet treat to his team in remembrance of Townsend. Baseball has a variety of sticky substances — spray-on pine-tar, pine-tar rags and other things. Townsend didn’t like the feel of those applicants so he would have a Blow Pop and use the gum from that to get a grip.
“The lollipops were just a remembrance of Joe. It was really cool and really touching to see the response from the guys,” Decatur skipper Chris Fox said.
Teams all around the North Puget Sound League (NPSL) honored Coach Joe. Auburn Mountainview and Kentlake all huddled around the pitchers mound that Townsend took many times at Kent-Meridian.
In a statement to The Mirror, King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer even called for the new baseball field to be named after Townsend.
“I have worked with Coach Joseph Townsend for nearly two decades in supporting sports opportunities for young men and women. We would often meet in my office at the Seattle Courthouse for coffee after his overnight shift ended at the corrections center to talk about fundraising for sports programs. Whether we were in Peoria, Arizona, at Spring Training or the playing fields of Thomas Jefferson High School, Coach Joseph Townsend was all about increasing sports opportunities for young people. I have asked the Federal Way School Board to name the new field at TJ the Coach Joseph Townsend Field,” von Reichbauer wrote.
Federal Way Public Schools released the following statement:
“We are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of Coach Joe Townsend, a beloved member of the Thomas Jefferson High School community. Coach Townsend made a lasting impact on both staff and a countless number students, through his leadership in both Raiders baseball and girls bowling. He modeled what mentoring student-athletes with dedication, positivity, and heart looked and sounded like. His unwavering support for his players and his passion for sports made him not just a coach, but a role model and friend to many. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues, and the students whose lives he touched. He will be deeply missed.”
There have been multiple calls to name the new field at Thomas Jefferson in honor of Townsend, but Federal Way Public Schools has not named any field after an individual in the district.
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Federal Way honors Joe Townsend. Ben Ray / The Mirror
Thomas Jefferson players remember Townsend during his candlelight vigil. Ben Ray / The Mirror
Townsend always wore a skullcap as a base coach and was honored on the mound. Ben Ray / The Mirror
