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It is with overwhelming sadness I announce to you that Johannes Heskes
passed away on February 11th, 2018 aged 83 years old.
CLICK HERE FOR
THE OFFICIAL OBITUARY
He came from The Netherlands where they pronounce 'J' as 'Y'. His family
called him Jan ("Yan"), but to those of us who knew him in the Shoreline Adult Soccer League (SASL) we
called him John as you would call anyone John with a hard 'J' (not "Yohn").
I came from England to live in the United States in 1980. I first met
John in 1981 just as the SASL was beginning to form (it started in 1979). I have known him for 37 years, a long
time. John was a true gentleman. He also laughed a lot! He was a great friend, and not just to me, but to many
in the SASL.
John became the SASL Treasurer & Registrar in 1988, a position he held for 6 years. During that same period,
in 1990 he also became the SASL Vice-President for two years. All at the same time he was also an SASL team manager
and player! He was very dedicated to his favourite sport.
When I first met him John was an Over-30 player in the SASL. At that time he was 46 years old -- there was no Over-40
League in those days! He played for and managed Wallingford Bolios. The team went on to be known as Wallingford
Aniellos and Wallingford Achilles while John was in charge and as the sponsors changed. I'm not quite sure when
John retired from playing, but I suspect it would be around when he turned 50 years old (1984-ish). We didn't have
an Over-50 League in those days neither! In 1993 when the team became ultimately known as Wallingford Morelia,
John finally retired from managing the team.
After he retired from playing I would still see him coming to watch SASL games. For a while he would also still
attend SASL league meetings just to hear what was going on and to see friends he had know for a long time.
Not many will remember, but several Connecticut
State Soccer Association Over-30 State Cups were named
after him ("Johannes C. Heskes") owing to his work on the SASL Executive Board as Registrar & Treasurer
(1988 through 1993). The cups were named after him for 2001 (winners Waterford SC), 2002 (Waterford SC), 2003 (Westport
FC), 2004 (Danbury United) and 2005 (Waterford SC). John's name was only the second name on the CSSA Over-30 State
Cups after SASL President Ken Brown's name appeared on them first (1992 - 2000). Click on CSSA State Cups for each year
they were played.
John will be sadly missed as a valuable member of Connecticut soccer
community. Our prayers and deepest sympathies go to his family from all of us in the brotherhood of the Shoreline
Adult Soccer League.
John, from all of us here in the Shoreline Adult Soccer League, past
and present, rest in peace.
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11th February, 2018
