Charlie Ghostkeeper once admitted he wasn't much of a fastball player. His love of the game was so strong, however, that he found other ways to stay involved.
It's that involvement where he made his mark and where he will be missed. After a lengthy battle with colon cancer, he passed away on Saturday at the age of 73.
Ghostkeeper became a coach and an organizer. Because of that decision, literally thousands of players -- youths and adults -- benefited.
When the weather turned cold, Ghostkeeper diverted his attention to hockey. Again, his work on the bench and behind the scenes enriched the lives of countless others. He had a particular soft spot for kids and did everything he could to give them the chance to play their chosen sport.
"He took in every youth and treated them like they were his own kid," said Ghostkeeper's daughter, Cindy. "I had a friend that came to visit him in the hospital and she said to me, 'Do you remember that day your dad packed us all into the back of his truck and took us to play ball, and after the ball game he took us all to McDonald's and fed us all and then he took us back home again?' And I said to her, 'No, I don't remember that day.' She said, 'You don't? That was one of the highlights of my childhood.'"
The kids-in-truck story is just one example of how Ghostkeeper's legacy will live on for years to come.
Ghostkeeper was born in 1938 in Grouard, Alta., and grew up in High Prairie. As a youngster, he was crazy about sports -- especially fastball. But, his abilities on the diamond didn't match his passion.
"I was a terrible ball player," he said in 2007 when he was being recognized with a Legacy of Leadership Award from the Prince George Urban Aboriginal Strategy. "In practice, I was good, but in a game, everything bounced off my hands. I couldn't hit anything so I started coaching."
By 1960, Ghostkeeper was living in Prince George, where he met and married Lucy. Together, they had four children -- Frank, Cindy, Dwayne and Fern.
Cindy, who grew up on the fastball diamonds, remembers being coached by her dad. His instructions on how to hit, catch and throw stayed with her over the years but they weren't as important as the life lessons she learned.
"We were always taught respect," she said. "That was always his biggest thing -- respect the other players, respect the game."
Ghostkeeper, who worked in logging and construction, also took numerous Prince George rep teams to tournaments on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. His positive approach and encouraging words rubbed off on his players and usually translated into success on the scoreboard.
While Ghostkeeper loved coaching, his true pride and joy in the summertime was the All-Native Fastball Tournament, held every July long weekend at Spruce City Stadium. At its peak, the event brought together more than 50 teams -- men's and women's -- from across Western Canada.
Ghostkeeper founded the tournament, which is closing in on 50 years of existence, and was always the man on the ground who kept everything running smoothly.
"He was up probably 24 hours a day when it was tournament time," said his younger brother, Peter. "He always had people doing certain things. For instance, I was doing the kitchen and somebody else was looking after the fields. But he was all over the place, monitoring everything -- the gate and all that stuff.
"That's what he lived for -- fastball in the summer and hockey in the winter."
In hockey, Ghostkeeper served in many capacities. Working mainly with aboriginal youth players, he was a coach, scout, volunteer and organizer. Those duties took him to rinks across the western provinces.
Here in Prince George, Ghostkeeper helped start the United Native Nations youth tournament in the 1990s. Often, more than 500 players gather for the much-anticipated event.
As well as his Legacy of Leadership Award, Ghostkeeper was presented with a Recreation Award of Merit by the City of Prince George in 1986 and a Community Leadership Award from the Prince George Native Friendship Centre in 1994.
A memorial service for Ghostkeeper will be held Friday at Spruce City Stadium, a park he helped construct. The service is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
