Lake Stevens Community County Park
Baseball Field Complex dedicated to Lake Stevens Coach Gary Cease
Gary Cease’s name is synonymous with most sporting programs in Lake Stevens over the past two decades. Cease lost his battle with cancer November 11, 2008, leaving a legacy of service and love of sports.
Cease’s involvement in the little league sporting community in Lake Stevens began as a coach for his son Caleb’s little league. Soon he was immersed in the Lake Stevens Junior Athletic Association and coaching football, baseball and wrestling.
While serving as President of the LSJAA, Cease made sure no child was left out because of financial burdens, personally paying for their league fees or getting them waived. His goal was to have every child play, if the child wanted the opportunity. He picked up those who were less fortunate or whose parents were busy to get them to practice.
Gary told his close friends that “the best times I spent in my life were on the fields I coached... mentoring kids is my most memorable accomplishment.”
Cease was also a wrestling referee for 22 years for the Snohomish County Wrestling Association, served as the Assigning Secretary for eight of those years, and helped start the Lake Stevens Kids Wrestling program. Gary’s youth program helped produce state champions Danny Kleven, Mike Bundy, Burke Barnes and Ty Human for the high school program.
Gary’s legacy of commitment will live on through all the kids he helped during his life. He has set a standard for what it means to be part of a community. (Pam Stevens, Lake Stevens Journal, April 5, 2010)
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