HARFORD COUNTY, Md. — Coach Guy Santoro loved his community, and it loved him.
Indicative of the impact he had, his former players, now in college, made the trip to North Harford High School on Tuesday afternoon.
"He's such a great guy," said Abby Wissert, a former player, "He's the reason why I love softball so much."
For parents and players, Tuesday was an emotional day. Two high school softball rivals - Bel Air and North Harford high schools - joined as one community to honor their beloved softball coach, whom they lost to cancer in December.
"Coach Guy loved every one of his players like they were his own," said Colleen Kaplan, a Harford County mom, "He'd give out trophies. He'd hug every girl, and you'd see tears in his eyes. He was just the most amazing coach I've ever seen."
"He was an amazing person, said former player Hayden Kobert, "an amazing coach, and I'm so happy I got to know him."
Santoro coached the 'Forest Hill Heat' softball program in Harford County. On December 10 last year, his family and his community lost him to pancreatic cancer; not long after, his wife, Holly, was sent to the hospital with an aneurysm. Thankfully, Holly is still with us.
READ MORE: Community rallies behind Forest Hill family battling tragedy
The family, WMAR is told, greatly appreciates the outpouring of support over the last few months.
A ceremony before the game brought back memories of Coach Guy; umpires helped organize the tribute.
"He was very important in my family," said Scott Snyder, an umpire, "I coached with him in the Forest Hill organization for several years. Our daughters played together."
"He offered a lot to the kids," Bobby Carter, an umpire, noted, "Was always there for every kid. Spent a lot of additional time after the games, before games, preparing the kids not only for softball, but for life itself. So a tremendous, tremendous loss throughout the community of Harford County."
On the first and third base sides, teams hung collages of memories with their beloved coach. A sign with his photo hung behind home plate.
Purple ribbons were worn by families and players for pancreatic cancer awareness.
"I think altogether - us wearing this ribbon really shows, never take anything for granted," Kobert said, "Always tell everyone you love them and everything. Because I remember the day my mom had to come in and tell me that he was gone."
