FRAMINGHAM — Many of David Crea’s favorite moments were spent on Victory Field in Framingham, where he coached his five children’s soccer teams.
Crea died in February, two months short of his 70th birthday. But his legacy will live on in the form of a memorial bench his family installed at the field.
“Often times, moments of great loss and sadness are followed by moments of reflection, gratitude and hope,” said his son, Andrew Crea, 37, of Providence, Rhode Island. “While we continue to mourn the loss of our father, we can now reflect on all those special moments, feel gratitude toward having those moments and have a newly refined hope that Dad is still here with us in spirit continuing to provide his upmost love and support.”
When Crea died, the family was left with wanting to honor him, his ex-wife, Beth Crea, said. She said the time he spent coaching soccer, both for his own kids and hundreds of others from the early 1990s to the early 2000s, gave him some of his favorite moments.
“I started to wonder, what would he have wanted and all I could think of was that soccer field,” she said. “Those were the best years of his life. He loved coaching not (only) his kids, but everyone’s kids. I could not think of a better place for the bench than at Victory.”
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Not only was David Crea a passionate coach, he was a successful one, with his teams finishing first or second almost every season, according to another of his sons, Nick Crea, 40, of Orange County, California.
“He really, truly found… it (soccer) really unlocked his passion,” he said. “We all found that one thing that sets our souls on fire, and that certainly set my dad’s soul on fire. My father really found his calling.”
Crea’s reach became evident after his death. Another of his sons, Nathaniel Crea, said many of his father’s players — some he had not heard from for 25 years — reached out to him and shared stories and memories about his father and how important he was for them.
“My biggest takeaway is that he gave me the coaching bug,” said Nathaniel Crea, 39, of Holden. “I coach my two boys now. My biggest achievement is that he had the opportunity to watch me coach my two boys. He taught me everything I know about sports, and he taught me everything about being a good person.”
Soccer was more than just a game for Crea. It was a chance to help make young children into better adults, according to his youngest son, Alexander Crea, 30
“Soccer was important to my dad, but it was just a vehicle to teach young minds, shape young minds, how to be a team, how to work together,” said Alexander Crea, of Natick. “If it wasn’t soccer, it would have been a different sport.”
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David Crea was a kind person on the coaching field and throughout life to everyone he met, said his daughter, Amanda Crea, 34, of Milford.
“He truly put all of our wants and needs, above his own,” she said. “He was equally as kind to us as he was to a bank teller. That’s what I’ll always remember and take with me throughout life… being kind to everyone and how important that is, because you never know what type of day someone else is having. My dad was never afraid to let us know, just how much he loved us. He would, sometimes to a fault… make sure we always knew just how loved and special we were to him. I’ll take that lovingness into my journey now, as I become a parent in the coming months.”
The memorial bench was installed on the hill overlooking Victory Field as David Crea’s family — all of his children, his former wife and all of his grandchildren — gathered at the bench. As the Crea grandchildren played on the field, it was apparent the family made the right decision on where to place the memorial bench, Andrew Crea said.
“After taking some pictures and sharing some stories and memories of my father, we had a pickup game on the field with my siblings and his grandchildren,” he said. “That was emotional. Besides coaching soccer, there was nothing more that my father loved in this world than his grandkids. I know that he was looking down, smiling, watching the next generation of Creas on that field.
“It was special.”
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or [email protected]. For up-to-date news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
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