GORD FAIRHOLM 1967-2017

People always ask me what it’s like being President of DABA and is all the work worthwhile. I always answer that the work is very rewarding and I enjoy 90% of what I do. Writing this today is certainly not something I enjoy or want to do. As a matter of fact, it is by far the hardest thing I’ve had to do since I have become President of DABA.

As many of you already know, we lost a HUGE pillar of our community yesterday when our friend, Gord Fairholm, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Gord was many things for DABA over the years, starting as a player when he was younger and over the past 8 years a major contributor to DABA. Gord started as a well-respected coach and quickly joined our Executive Board serving as our VP of Player Development. Gord was instrumental in helping start our Baseball Development Committee and was the point man behind our upgraded website and Facebook pages. There was pretty much nothing Gord would not do to help DABA and most importantly to help the kids of our community. I jokingly referred to Gord as our “head groundskeeper” as he always had his rake in the car in case it was needed because Gord always wanted the kids to play on a pristine field to reduce the chances of injury. To Gord, there was nothing that could not be done. I will always remember Gord saying “instead of looking for problems why don’t we focus on solutions”. This is a mantra that we repeat often and is a very valuable life lesson that I will keep repeating while remembering my good friend.

What impressed me most about Gord was his constant desire to help and to do the right thing. While most people I know would have stopped volunteering while dealing with their health issues, he insisted on continuing to help out. He would often ask me from his hospital bed if there was anything he can do to help out. When we was out of the hospital but still weak, he offered to help with our winter clinics or even raking the field before our Atom tournament while he was clearly not 100%. But that was Gord, always trying to help others and to ensure the children of our community got everything they deserve.

I’m sure you will all join me and sending our condolences to Gord’s wife Lisa and his children Lauren and Ryan. Please know that I will do everything I can to ensure Gord’s legacy lives on within the DABA community. Rest in Peace my friend. Although your life was far too short, your legacy will continue to live on.

Joel Goldenberg
President DABA