THE BATTLEFORDS — Months after Marilyn O'Driscoll's passing, the Battlefords Minor Baseball Association says that work continues to honour her as the tour-de-force she was to the Saskatchewan softball community.
"We have our AGM on Wednesday, [Dec. 13] we'll select our new board ... at our first meeting, one of the biggest pieces on our agenda is creating another committee to honour one of our biggest people in softball in this community," he told Battleford town council at their Monday, Dec. 11 meeting.
“She was umpire chief here, she was one of my biggest mentors in this sport," he said, noting that the board would like to commemorate her, while also building something for the softball community.
The soon-to-be-created fundraising committee would likely propose, according to Russell, to upgrade one of the diamonds down at The Flats in Battleford in O'Driscoll's honour.
He added that may include a better grandstand, an announcer's box, a scoreboard and other upgrades.
“We’re really going to work as a board to raise enough money so that we can do something substantial down there and it would be in Marilyn’s honour,” he added.
The association will likely be returning to council with an official proposal and letter, which the town will require.
"I can also attest to Marylin," Councillor Alexis Christensen told council.
"So I don't remember what the year was, the very first year we had actual competitive softball ... but she was right there from day one," she said.
"I would have probably been 12 years old at the time ... but she's an amazing person so I'm glad you guys are thinking like that and I'd be glad to help," Councillor Christensen added.
Sharing an anecdote about O'Driscoll as well, Russell mentioned that he learned she'd gone into the hospital while he was driving back from Western's last year.
"She was texting me the day before she went into the hospital asking how my girls were doing and then showing me pictures of her cucumbers," he said laughing, noting that she loved two things: softball and her garden.
