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WILKES-BARRE — It was a hot summer day sometime in the early ‘80s. I was driving a Plymouth Reliant. Don’t laugh, this rectangular beauty was loaded — it had the softest leather seats.
Anyway, I decided to get the car washed and I told the attendant to give it the works, which included treating the leather seats with Armor All — giving them a fresh look and sweet smell.
I was driving around for some time after the car wash and Armor All treatment and then I headed to the Kingston Rec Center for a quick game of basketball with the “Goons at Noon” — a group of businessmen who played their very own special brand of hoops. Let’s just say that in this game, the talent level was above average and the personal fouls were truly personal.
So I show up a little early and I asked if I could use the office to make a few calls. I was obliged and went to the office and sat at the director’s desk and made my calls.
The office belonged to the Rev. Lou Falcone, who was the director and also a beloved man in the community, known for his tireless efforts on behalf of youth.
Rev. Lou’s chair was made of a material somewhere between Naugahyde and plastic. I sat in it for about 10 minutes to make my calls. I swear to this day that I had no idea that Armor All had been absorbed into my suit coat and pants and then transferred to Rev. Lou’s chair.
When Rev. Lou returned a short time later, he went to his office, never expecting to encounter what he did. Standing at the reception desk, all I heard was, “Whoa!” and a loud boom. When Rev. Lou sat in his chair, he slid right off it and crashed into his metal desk, banging both of his knees.
It was then I realized what had happened. I apologized to Lou, he smiled, we laughed. It was a moment I will never forget.
Rev. Lou died on Jan. 6, 2018, at the age of 84.
As his obituary notes, Rev. Lou “was a very special person who was known throughout the Christian Community for his pastoral work. He was equally well known for his labor of love with the young people throughout the valley community through youth sports.”
Rev. Lou was as dedicated as any volunteer could be. He loved coaching kids — it was his passion. He spent more than 45 years coaching, officiating and administrating youth sports around the Wyoming Valley. He served as president of the Luzerne-Courtdale-Pringle Little League; started the Luzerne Lion Junior-Football League, as well as the Saint John’s Falcons Elementary School, Luzerne, basketball program.
As Luzerne Catholic schools merged, Rev. Lou then became the head coach of Sacred Heart Elementary School, Luzerne. He coached Teeners’ League Baseball in the Fort-Swoyer Teeners’ League, where he helped implement a 13-year-old Teeners’ League, so players could more easily transition from Little League to Teeners’ ball. His coaching career was climaxed by his tenure as head football coach at West Side Vocational-Technical School. His youth sports endeavors led to his appointment, and subsequent 17-year career, as the first director of the Kingston Recreation Center.
Rev. Lou was an educator, spending several years in the Wyoming Valley West School District, where he helped mold several generations of young men through education, sports and life experiences. Rev. Lou also served as a Wyoming Valley West school board director, capping off his tenure with initiating soccer as a participation sport at Wyoming Valley West schools.
The late comedian Red Buttons used to have a routine where he would mention famous people in history and note they “never got a dinner.” Rev. Lou Falcone deserved a dinner. He deserved much more. Rev. Lou was a man who did everything he could to try to make a better quality of life for so many — mostly people he really didn’t know. He was the epitome of a community servant/volunteer.
A public memorial service, celebrating the life of Rev. Lou, will be held on Saturday, April 14, at 11 a.m. at Camp Orchard Hill, 640 Orange Road, Dallas. I hope every person whose life Rev. Lou touched will be there to honor this man.
He certainly deserves it.
