Galloway Twp., NJ, Baseball Coach Passes Away at 49 from COVID-19
The South Jersey baseball community lost one of it's most dedicated coaches on Friday when Frank Gargione passed away at the age of 49 after a long battle with COVID-19.
I knew Frank as the manager of the Galloway Babe Ruth team, and also started and manager of the Galloway team in the new South Jersey South Shore baseball league.
He grew up in Galloway, played in Galloway, and later coached in the Galloway Twp. Athletic Association.
My Ventnor team lost to Frank's Galloway team in the first-round of the Atlantic Shore playoffs this season and in the Semifinals of the 2020 season.
It was always fun to compete against Frank, who helped revive the Galloway baseball program at the Babe Ruth level, that had hit some hard times in recent years.
His passion for the game will be missed and his smile was infectious on and on the field.
While I didn't know Frank well, other than in Atlantic Shore meetings or on the diamond, whenever I saw him, it was as if we knew each other for 20 years.
I saw him at the Golden Nugget deck in the summer of 2021, and he graciously bought my girlfriend and I a drink.
That was Frank.
I saw Frank at a local baseball game in the summer, doing what he loved, teaching, coaching, and helping make memories for the young men on his team.
I'll miss you Frank.
He was a brother, a father, and a local businesses man in the Galloway community.
He grew up in a very athletic family, and was one of five kids, with his brothers Steve, Bob, Joe and his sister Lisa.
8 Things That Could Work at Bader Field
More From WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM
