A fatal apartment fire in East Flatbush, Brooklyn killed Jose Castro, a long-time baseball coach, and his 86-year-old mother, Maria. Castro, 65, lived with his mother in a Nostrand Avenue building. He coached for nearly 40 years, including volunteer work at Bonnie Youth Club and junior varsity coaching at The Packer Collegiate Institute. He also ran a mentoring program called Books and Baseball and shared moments from it on Instagram. The fire occurred around 6:50 am, and two other people were injured. Bonnie Youth Club leadership described Castro as widely liked and focused on kids, baseball, and tutoring. The Milwaukee Brewers also mourned Charlie Moore, who died at 72.
"The police identified the victims as a long-time baseball coach and his elderly mother, who were residents of the building on Nostrand Avenue in East Flatbush. Their deaths come as a shock to the baseball community in Brooklyn."
"The 65-year-old Jose Castro shared his baseball knowledge with young players through different organizations. He was a volunteer coach for almost 40 years at Bonnie Youth Club, alongside coaching junior varsity baseball at The Packer Collegiate Institute. Castro also ran a coaching and mentoring program called Books and Baseball for young players. He even posted glimpses of the program on Instagram."
""He was a big part of our organization. He's one of these guys that everybody liked, and everyone wanted to work with," said Katzke, per the Daily News. "Whether it's in a school setting or whether it's in a sandlot setting like ours, everything he's really done has revolved around kids and baseball and tutoring.""
"Apart from coaching baseball, Castro was also a caregiver to his 86-year-old mother, Maria. Not having children of his own, the Brooklyn coach lived with his elderly mother. The fire reportedly ripped through their small apartment early in the morning, around 6:50 am. Alongside Jose and his mother, two others were also injured."
Read at EssentiallySports
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