Sept. 28--Raymond Meath taught elementary and junior high school students in Bellwood, where he also developed a reputation as an encouraging athletics coach who helped his players reach their potential.
"He was the first real mentor I ever encountered," said former San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy, whom Meath taught for two years and coached for two additional years. "He was one of the most influential people in my life and was extraordinarily supportive. He helped dramatically enhance my self-esteem at a very critical juncture in my life."
Meath, 86, died of congestive heart failure Aug. 16 at his home, said his son Robb Meath. He had been a resident of Wheaton since 1991, previously living in Westchester.
Born Raymond Caruso Meath in Chicago, Meath grew up in Oak Park and graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 1946. He enlisted in the Army at 17 and served in postwar Japan.
Meath earned a bachelor's degree in education at Northern Illinois University, where he played on the school's baseball team. While at Northern Illinois, he met his future wife of more than 62 years, Dale. The couple wed in November 1952.
Meath joined Bellwood School District 88 as a physical education and health teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, now known as Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. In 1955 he shifted to Roosevelt Junior High School, now Roosevelt Middle School, which is across the street from the grade school.
At the junior high, Meath coached basketball, making a strong impression on his players.
"He wasn't a taskmaster, but a humanitarian type," said Sam Lima, a student of Meath's in the early 1960s who later became Proviso West High School's head baseball coach. "He was one of the most phenomenal motivators that you could play for, because he could bring out more than your ability level. He really cared about people, and he was so modest and humble."
Lima also recalled Meath's mentorship as Lima moved into coaching himself.
"Ray was the biggest influence in going into coaching," Lima said. "He was there to bounce things off of. He was a mentor to me and also was like a father figure. He gave me countless pieces of advice."
Ken Trempe, a retired Chicago police officer who taught at Roosevelt with Meath from 1972 until 1980, also was the announcer for Roosevelt's basketball games, offering him a chance to see Meath's coaching style firsthand.
"It was just amazing how he was able to motivate these kids, and how he was able to get them to reach inside themselves," Trempe said. "He was a terrific coach."
Meath stopped coaching in 1975 but continued to be involved in sports as the school's athletic director.
"Even after stepping down as coach, his contributions continued because he would come to the practices and take a particular teaching point and go over that with the kids," Trempe said. "He was a terrific individual to know. He was constantly teaching."
Meath's son said his father had opportunities to teach and coach at the high school level but favored working with youngsters earlier in their athletic careers.
"He liked the idea of being a coach as the kids were just beginning their junior high careers," Dale Meath said. "That was something that he felt really good about. He was one of the first people at that time in their lives to show them the way as far as fundamentals."
During the summers, Meath coached at a basketball camp at Proviso West. He also was a Little League baseball coach in Westchester and sat on the league's board for 20 years.
After retiring from teaching in 1987, Meath was a substitute teacher in District 88 for several years. He and his wife moved in 1991 to Wheaton, where he golfed often and worked as a ranger at Arrowhead Golf Club in Wheaton.
Meath also is survived by two other sons, Jeff and Brad; a daughter, Cindy; and nine grandchildren.
Services were held.
Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
