He fought hard to make it to Championship Tuesday of the Tournament of Champions, but on Tuesday, June 24, 2007 at 2:00pm, Bobby Sox Softball
lost another true friend.

Ernest L. Severtsen, the last of the three original founders of Bobby Sox Softball, passed away in Tennessee at the age of 80.

Modeled after the Little League Program for boys founded in 1947, Ernie Severtsen, Bill Honaker (deceased 1969) and Everett Skillings (deceased
1978) developed an organized team sports for girls which was not whole- heartedly supported at the time.

They wanted their daughters and the daughters of others to have the same opportunities as boys to develop their athletic abilities and their social skills.

When asked to describe the program, Ernie stated "The Bobby Sox Softball Program's game of softball spotlights the playing field as a stage upon which our daughters perform in order to properly gain our attention. The program is further used to teach the girls through our own example the five "Ships" of Bobby Sox; Friendship, Sportsmanship, Citizenship, Leadership and Scholarship."

He loved the girls and starved every day to do something for them to fill their lives with possibilities and opportunities.

Ernie - We thank you and all those that went before us for playing a major role in making it possible for our girls to have the opportunities they have today to play High School and College Ball, to receive full Scholarships, to participate in the Olympics and to become Coaches for all of these teams.

Without your concentrated efforts, from 1962 until today....we would not be afforded these opportunities and our gratitude is boundless.

Ernie's wife Lois said that Ernie would want to be remembered as he lived his life - dedicated to the happiness and well being of the children of the world and asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Bobby Sox Softball or to one of the Feed the Children Organizations.

We would all like to thank the two surviving wives of our founders, Lois Severtsen and Bernice Honaker Schultz for all they did year after year to make this program a success. We all know they were the great women behind these great men, that without whose love for their husbands and support of their visions, the heights to which they reached would have never been possible.

Until we meet again, Our Friend!