COLD SPRING – A private memorial service will honor Richard “Mickey” McPherson, a longtime coach and umpire for the Lower Township Little league, who died June 26 at age 90.
The service will reflect how McPherson lived his life, according to his daughter, Sandra Donley, of Millville: “Never wanting any fuss, and he never asked for anything.”
Donley said her dad’s life was marked by service and commitment, and the family hopes his legacy will continue to inspire those who knew him. “He was dedicated to his community,” she said.
McPherson was born in 1933 and was a resident of Cold Spring. As a youngster he labored on his family’s dairy and lima bean farms. He followed up a two-year Navy stint with a career as an oil and gas delivery man and nearly two decades as a school bus driver for the Lower Township Elementary School District.
For 29 years he dedicated himself to the Lower Township Little League, coaching both the Legion and Rotary teams and serving as an umpire.
“My dad got involved when my brother was in Little League, but he sat on the bench a lot,” Donley said. “My dad thought my brother was a good ballplayer, and felt he deserved a better shot, so he asked if he could take over the team when the coach left. My brother eventually left Little League, but Dad never did.”
When he retired from Little League baseball in 2007, Lower Township declared it “Mickey” Day, Donley said. There were free hot dogs and other goodies, along with a Little League baseball game, to celebrate the contributions of a “humble, hardworking man who never stopped giving back to youth. It was a small token of a career in community service,” she said.
In a story in the Herald when McPherson retired from the league, McPherson explained that he became “Mickey” as a child. His cousin thought he needed a nickname and came up with Mickey, and it stuck. He became “Mr. Mickey” to many Little Leaguers because he thought “Mr. McPherson” was tough for kids to remember and say.
According to the story, McPherson’s spouse of 50 years, Sandra, “patiently and understandingly shared her husband with the countless Little Leaguers he helped mold and guide into adolescents.”
In his 20s, McPherson patrolled left field for the old Cape May Marlins in the late 1950s and 1960s. His enduring love for the game was born on sandlots throughout Lower Township and Cape May, where neighborhood kids played from dawn until lunch, and then again until dinner, then till dark.
He died peacefully at Autumn Lake Healthcare in Ocean View. He is survived by his wife, Sandra, and three children, Susan McPherson, Donley and Eric McPherson.
He had six grandchildren: Kristen McPherson Garcia; Jake Robertson, whom he coached in Little League; Alissa Robertson; Garrett Garcia; Colin McPherson and Gavin McPherson; two great-grandchildren, Kirin Kennedy and Scarlett Robertson, and many nieces and nephews. His sister, Kathleen, also survives him.
Contact the reporter, Karen Knight, at kknight@cmcherald.com.
