For nearly a half-century, Don “Ernie” Fuchs could be found operating a score clock for home Owensville Dutchmen football and basketball games.

He served the same amount of time as treasurer of the Dutchmen/Dutchgirls Athletic Booster Club helping young student athletes be able to have the equipment necessary for them to succeed in their respective sports.

Last Tuesday morning, he was sitting in his easy chair when a dump truck entered his living room from off of Highway 28.

Sustaining fatal injuries from the tragic accident, Fuchs left behind a legacy of giving way more back than he took from the Owensville community.

The greatest memory I have of Mr. Fuchs is when he and Bruce Paneitz walked into the Gasconade County Republican newspaper office back in February of 2011 presenting me with a check for $100 from the booster club for spending money on my trip to North Carolina later that year to accept the 2010 Missouri Sportswriter of the Year award from the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association (NSSA).

That organization has since been renamed the National Sports Media Association (NSMA).

Former Owensville High School athletic directors and coaches have also chimed in with memories of the late Mr. Fuchs.

Now a math teacher at Union High School, former OHS AD and assistant football coach Ryan Okenfuss recalled Ernie always being there.

“Ernie...he was just always there,” Okenfuss said. “You would give him the football and basketball schedules at the beginning of the summer for the following school year and ask him to look them over to see how many games he wanted to work. He would look at you saying “that’s a lot of games” making me think that he may cut back. But always committed to every game with no questions asked.”

Referring to the headline of this week’s column, Okenfuss also mentioned the handmade basketball timeout stand that Fuchs built.

“Ernie had this handmade basketball timeout stand that he made on his own,” Okenfuss said. “It had blocks to indicate how many and what kind of timeouts that each team had. It just took a quick look and either coach or any official could easily see the timeout situation. Multiple officials commented on this over the years about how beneficial this was towards the end of a half or game.”

Recently retiring as the long time voice of the Dutchmen, Bruce Paneitz also shared a memory from working alongside Fuchs for the biggest part of half a century.

“Ernie would always try to be the first one at the table so he made sure he was right in the middle.” Paneitz said.  If we would beat him there he would move our stuff to make sure he got that middle seat.”

Now an assistant coach for the Maryville University (MU) Saints men’s basketball team, former OHS AD and head girls basketball coach Steve Tappmeyer also reflected on Fuchs’ passing.

“He was just always ready to help,” Tappmeyer said. “You could joke with him because he had a good sense of humor. He was a huge part of the history and tradition that makes OHS and Owensville so special.  Such a sad time.”

Retired and now living in the St. Louis area, former Dutchmen head basketball coach Mark “Pete” Jett shared something that would be very fitting.

“If anyone deserves a plaque or a little memorial put up somewhere around the high school it would be Ernie,” Jett said. “No one has put in more time and effort over the last 40 some years than Ernie. He was involved in so much. My coach John Hoener once said about a Dutchman we bleed orange.  Ernie truly bled orange.”

Once the head boys basketball coach in Steelville and principal at Owensville High School, Dr. Kurt Keller also reflected on his many dealings with Ernie.

“Don Fuchs was always very professional in his dealings with coaches and officials,” Keller said. “He was always early and frequently helped get other areas prepared for their responsibilities for game time. He was very knowledgeable of the rules and any rule changes that happened from year to year.  Don definitely “gave” a lot more to the community than he took.  Above all he always supported the Dutchmen and Dutchgirls while making sure he was always fair in the way he operated the clock for home football and boys and girls basketball games. I am very fortunate in that I got to witness the example of how Don Fuchs supported our kids in the R-2 schools and am blessed to have worked with him.”

As he is laid to rest later this week, our thoughts and prayers remain with his family during this trying time.