Devoted to others

Bob Coutchie will be remembered by the Yuma community as a man who generously volunteered decades of his life to young people.

Coutchie dedicated more than 35 years to Babe Ruth Baseball and was involved with 4-H groups in Yuma.

"He was a terrific guy. He was devoted to his community and that's something you just don't see anymore," said Fred Little, a longtime friend of the Coutchie family. "He spent a lot of time keeping kids out of trouble and teaching them sportsmanship."

Asked why his father was so dedicated to Babe Ruth, son Bob said, "He understood sports as a means to develop young people."

And he lived by that philosophy. Each of his children played competitively at some point, and he was personally involved with youth sports for more than 40 years.

Coutchie passed away June 22 at his Yuma home. He was 88 years old. Services were held July 1 at Yuma Mortuary Chapel. His wife, Martha, preceded him in death and is also remembered for her dedication to youth and the community. She, too, was heavily involved in youth sports and spent years as a teacher and tennis coach.

Bob Coutchie was a first-generation American. He was born in 1920 in Canby, Minn. and moved to Arizona with his family in 1926. His family took up farming just as the Great Depression began to shake the nation, making him part of what his son, Bob Coutchie, calls "the greatest generation."

"All generations have their greatness, but dad's was a linchpin in the growth of the United States into a strong vibrant country, that became the beacon of freedom during the Cold War. Dad was the epitome of that generation."

In 1939, Coutchie began his studies at the University of Arizona, where he had a football scholarship. While he was there, his team won a Border Conference Championship and the well-rounded athlete found time to pursue baseball and track on the side.

He was also involved with Army ROTC, and was called into the service in 1943, before he could finish his studies. According to his son, Bob, Coutchie was trained at Fort Benning, Ga., and commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the infantry.

From there, he joined the 345th Regiment of the 87th Infantry Division. His unit, a part of General Patton's 3rd Army, fought across France and then Germany, following the Battle of the Bulge.

During the Battle of the Bulge, his unit was one of the first to fight its way into the strategic city of Bastogne to relieve the 101st Airborne. He earned a Bronze Star Medal for his wartime actions and achieved the rank of 1st Lt. before he left the Army. But son, Bob, said Coutchie rarely spoke about his military service.

"In my lifetime I haven't heard him speak about the war more than eight or 10 times. Dad looked at that as something he needed to do for his country and he went in and did his job and then moved on to living his life for his family."

One thing his father did mention, though, was that he hated the cold. The Battle of the Bulge was fought in historic low temperatures, and Coutchie told his family that at one point, he woke up to find the only thing separating his body from 6 inches of snow was a canvas tent.

That might explain why shortly after being discharged in 1946, Coutchie and his wife, Martha, settled in sunny Yuma. He began working with the Bureau of Reclamation and by the time he retired in 1980, he was chief of the Land Branch.

Bob said the bureau was involved with converting desert lands to farmland and brought in a lot of irrigation, helping make Yuma the agricultural center it is today.

The Coutchies had five children: Robert (Bob), Edward, Jackson (Jackie), Richard and Alison.  Four of them survived to adulthood. Their son Jackson died at the age of 15 in 1963, while playing baseball.

Kerrie Underhill, a friend and colleague at Babe Ruth, said Coutchie continued to be an advocate for youth sports despite the devastating loss.

"He loved baseball. He turned it into a positive situation, started coaching and giving back to the people in the community."

Around 1958, Coutchie began coaching little league. He went on to coach for Babe Ruth baseball beginning in the '60s. He eventually became a Babe Ruth board member and served as league president. He was the uniform and equipment manager until he resigned in 2003. Underhill said he showed an uncommon dedication to the post.

"One thing about Coutchie is he took care of our uniforms. He made people accountable for the uniforms they checked out and if something had a hole in it, he patched it up."

Underhill said Coutchie expressed his regret at having to step down, for health reasons, in a hand-written note. She said still holds on to that note.

"It was hard for him to do and as hard for us to accept it," she said.

Coutchie was honored many times for his years of service to the community, but son Bob said he will remember his father as a man who put family above all else.

"He was a family-oriented person, the security of his family was paramount to him," he said. "He was the type of individual who developed us children and taught us responsibility. He provided us with a secure home and a stable life to grow up in."

Bob noted that among his father's noble traits were frugality with money, and a firm belief in higher education.

"He made it possible for all four of us to go to college and we finished without student loans," said the son.

Those who shared their memories of Coutchie agreed that he was an intelligent, considerate and very generous man. He and his late wife remain beloved by the community.

"They were great parents. I can see why they were loved by everybody. They were great wonderful people," said Underhill.

From July 15-18, Babe Ruth Baseball will dedicate two state tournaments to the memory of Bob Coutchie.