Brandywine Valley Senior Softball Association

Happy 90th birthday ( April 3 1936 ) to Dave Irving . Dave has been a fixture in the BVSSA as a player , coach , scorekeeper , and strategist . Dave is usually willing to share his life long experience in our game -- especially to newer players .

Like many of us , he started his love of this great game as a youth . He was born and raised in northern New Jersey and experienced the joy of viewing the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field , as an 8 year old .He continues as a life time Brooklyn / LA Dodger fan

A lifetime thrill for him occurred in 1996 when he attended Dodgertown , in Vero Beach , Florida as an Adult " player participant " interacting with his boyhood heroes -- Duke Snider , Steve Garvey , Tommy LaSorda., Mike Scoscia , etc . Scoscia , an LA Dodger catcher for many years , was from Delaware County . He had a Little League field dedicated to him in Morton, Delco . in 2024 .Dave , in his Dodger uniform , was invited and threw out the " first pitch " to buddy catcher Mike at the ceremony .! 😂

Dave's lifetime baseball / softball playing follows a familiar track : hardball , fast pitch softball ,modified pitch softball , and finally senior slow pitch softball-- spanning 80 years .For many years he played for the Princeton University local Philly grads team in Chestnut Hill ,until former BVSSA player Al Bensley convinced him to play more locally with the champion " Legends " team in the Delco Night league

He then moved on to the BVSSA league Morning " Silver Division " where he hung up his spikes about 5 years ago . He continues in the "S D " as a scorebook keeper with continuing advice to his teammates ---- " HIT to the openings on the RIGHT side ! ! , ---Outfielders , PLAY IN for these single hitters ! ! 🙄

So Happy 90th Birthday , Dave . It's a special day for a special guy .

From all your friends and teammates at BVSSA

Gold League Champs (bvssa.org)

Silver league champs (bvssa.org)

Fred DiDomenico. R.I.P. our dear friend. You will be missed

Live in or near West Chester, PA?

John Essaf
9-16-28 - 5-8-23

John J. Essaf, 94, of Glen Mills, passed away Monday, May 8, 2023.

Born September 16, 1928, in Chester, he was the son of Lebanese immigrants, the late Abraham and Marsha (Farah) Essaf.

Learning his work ethic from his father, he worked many different jobs as a youngster. He was scouted by the Phillies as a young man and also received a scholarship to study acting under Jasper Deeter, founder of Hedgerow Theater and acting school.

He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1946 to 1948 as a weatherman. After his honorable discharge, he worked a variety of jobs, including a Page at NBC, a disc jockey at WASA in Maryland, and then he eventually became a police officer in the City of Philadelphia and served on the police force in community relations from 1954 to 1976.

In 1976, he accepted a position as Head of Security at St. Joseph’s University. After his retirement from St. Joseph’s, he then accepted a position at Hahnemann Hospital as Director of Security and Fire Safety. He then worked for Washington National Insurance Company, where, in 1986, in a contest to commemorate the company’s 75th anniversary, he was the number four salesperson in the country.

He was an avid sportsman, and at 85 years of age was still playing 6 games of softball and 18 holes of golf a week, as well as participating in the Senior Olympics.

A practical joker, he was also known for his storytelling and enjoyed playing cards with friends and family.

He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Rita (Hartman) Essaf; his sons, Michael (Kathleen) and John; his daughter Marilyn (Essaf) Blair (James); grandchildren, Christie, Robby, Danny, Joey, Jamie, Holly, Kimberly; great grandchildren, Matt, Alex, Emma, Henry, twins Finn and Oliver; and brother Robert.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by sisters Helen, Mae, Sarah, Lillian, brothers Louis and George.

Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at 3 pm on Saturday, May 20, Delaware Valley Christian Church, 535 N. Old Middletown Road, Media, followed by a reception at the Clubhouse at Fox Hill Farm, 2300 Fox Hill Circle, Glen Mills, PA.

Memorial contributions, if desired, can be made to Penn Medicine Home Hospice.