Umpire will be missed
I was saddened to read of the recent passing of Paul Lancaster. As a longtime basketball and baseball coach at Connellsville High School, I’ve come in contact with many sports officials. There was not another man in officiating that I respected more than Paul.
I knew Paul primarily as a baseball umpire. It was always a pleasure to see Paul show up, usually with another great umpire in Jerry Simon, to umpire one of our games. Umpires get very little respect for the job they do. Paul always maintained control of the game and let the players decide the winner. He was a first-class gentleman, dedicated to his job, and took pride in his work. I would always recommend Paul on my list of names to umpire our playoff games. He was a regular throughout the WPIAL during playoff season and did many championship games, which he deserved.
My son, Bob, worked many games with Paul and said he was an outstanding mentor to all young officials. Baseball, along with the other sports that Paul officiated, has lost a great man who will be surely missed. You could tell that Paul loved what he was doing, and the coaches appreciated his work. I never heard another coach complain about Paul’s work on any game.
I’m going to missing seeing Paul on the baseball diamonds and running into him occasionally in the area. Paul was a prime example of what an outstanding umpire and man should be like.
Bob Renzi
Connellsville