Leo 'Lefty' Bartos, 84, of Midland, died Friday evening, June 1, 2012, at Bickford Assisted Living in Midland. The funeral liturgy will take place 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 5, 2012, from Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Lefty's family will receive friends at the Ware Smith Woolever Funeral Home, on Monday from 1-3 p.m., and from 5-9 p.m. A complete obituary will be published in Monday's edition of the paper.
Leo "Lefty" Bernard Bartos, beloved father, brother, uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather, died Friday evening, June 1, 2012, at Bickford Assisted Living, surrounded by his family.
Lefty was born on Feb. 9, 1928, in Midland. He was one of ten children, son of the late Frank and Rose (Balcirak) Bartos. He attended St. Brigid Catholic school for eight years then transferred to St. Joseph Seminary in Grand Rapids where he spent five years.
Lefty joined The Dow Chemical Co. in 1946 as a solutions man in the cellulose department. His career has seen him wear hats of a journeyman pipe fitter, a piping and underground inspector, a construction superintendent, and safety coordinator. In his last position before retirement he was a safety associate in charge of a safe behavior-based workshop, Safe Working Style (SWS) coordinating more than 4,000 employees through SWS workshops with the help of 90 instructors. During this time Lefty was known as "Mr. Safety and Mr. SWS." In 1992, Lefty retired from The Dow Chemical Co. after 46 years of service.
In his younger days, Lefty was an avid golfer. He would often get up before work and play nine holes of golf at Currie Golf Course before going into work at The Dow Chemical Co. He enjoyed watching the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, and the Detroit Red Wings on TV. In 1998, Lefty was inducted into the Midland County Hall of Fame as the driving force behind the success of the Midland Explorers, raising roughly $750,000 for the organization over 12 seasons. Lefty was known by many as the "fastpitch softball ambassador" for the way he promoted the sport. He was active in obtaining managers and players for the Explorers since they were formed in 1986. Behind the scenes, he helped from the board of directors, establishing the group's by-laws and fundraising. In 2000, Lefty was the first inductee from Midland, Michigan inducted into the International Softball Congress Hall of Fame in the "Recognition of Service Award" category for his main contributions as promoter, fundraiser, and the driving force behind the Midland Explorers.
On June 10, 1950, he married Dominica Delores Wejrowski in Fisherville, and they settled in Midland. He was a dedicated family man, always actively involved in the lives of his children and his church. He served on the Blessed Sacrament Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for several years as carnival chairman and part-time physical education instructor. He will always be remembered for his sense of humor.
Lefty is survived by his children, Linda Coyne of Pittsburgh, Pa., Dan Bartos and significant other Cheryl Wilmot of Flint, Debi (Tim) Craig of Midland, Bridget (Ralph) Hale of Auburn, Brenda Bartos and Mark Bartos, both of Midland; granddaughter, Kimberly Coyne; and great-granddaughter, Lily Jerome, all of Pittsburgh, Pa.
In addition to his children he is survived by brothers and sisters, Don Bartos, Bernard Bartos, Florence Bartos, Lucille Bartos, Janet (Mark) Nisbett, Cathy (Doug) Cloutier, Margaret (Chuck) Gatza, and Agnes (Jim) Garrett; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. In addition to his parents, Lefty was preceded in death by his wife, Dominica (Wejrowski) Bartos; a sister, Monica Dryer; and sisters-in-law, Sharon Bartos and Barbara Bartos.
The funeral liturgy will take place at 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 5, 2012, from Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Fr. Eddie Dwyer will celebrate, with rite of committal to follow in New Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Lefty's family will receive friends at the Ware Smith Woolever Funeral Home, 1200 W. Wheeler St., on Monday from 1-3 and 5-9 p.m., and at the church on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until time of the mass. A vigil service for Mr. Bartos will take place 7 p.m. Monday evening at the funeral home. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. If you are unable to visit with the family in person, you may send your condolences through
waresmithwoolever.com
With Friday's death of 84-year-old Leo "Lefty" Bartos, the Midland softball community has lost a pillar of the sport.
It was Lefty's enthusiasm for the game that led to the formation of the Midland Explorers fastpitch team during the 1980s. They were formed to fill a void in men's fastpitch that existed with the disbanding of the McArdle team that captured the International Softball Federation's World title in 1980.
Lefty knew that without a corporate sponsor the team would need to have financial backing from people in the community. He personally took it upon himself to raise those funds.
"There is no doubt about it. Lefty was the financial force behind the Explorers," said Bill Humphrey, a former veteran Amateur Softball Association umpire. "Lefty worked for the Dow Chemical Company and got to know lots of contractors. There was nothing bashful about Lefty when it came to asking for help. He was the one who knocked on doors."
Doug Fillmore was the Explorers' player/manager from 1988-91. He has fond memories of his association with Lefty.
"Lefty really helped me," Fillmore said. "He built the schedule and took care of all the administrative things so I could concentrate on playing and managing.
"We flew a lot in those days. He would take care of getting our tickets, arranging for motel rooms and eating facilities as well as other little things. He wanted everybody to be happy."
Fillmore added: "There is no doubt Lefty was the heart and soul of the Explorers. I know he used money out of his own pocket to sometimes help us."
Fillmore said Lefty considered the Explorers to be his second family. "He would do anything for us."
As for his personal relationship with Lefty, Fillmore had this to say: "He was a good friend. We often rode back and forth to tourneys. He was just a wonderful man. If anybody would ask me today, I'd tell them Lefty was Mr. Softball in Midland."
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Ware Smith Woolever.
