By B.C. Manion
Chances are, if you don’t live in Lutz, or haven’t been to the community’s giant sports complex off Lutz-Lake Fern Road, the name Oscar Cooler may not ring a bell.
But for thousands of athletes and their families, Cooler’s contributions left a permanent imprint, said Mitch Wilkins, president of the Lutz Leaguerettes. “Being able to bring all those families together to interact makes him an icon,” Wilkins said.
Cooler, 84, died on June 13 and was laid to rest on June 18 with a memorial at Loyless Funeral Home in Land O’ Lakes, followed by a graveside service at Lutz Cemetery.
Those who knew Cooler described him as a tenacious man, with a heart for the community’s children – all of the community’s children.
The Rev. Alan Burner, of the First Baptist Church of Lutz, officiated at the memorial.
“Oscar’s family told me that he got what he wanted 99.9 percent of the time – and, for the Lutz community, that worked out very well, and for young people, that worked out very well,” Burner said.
Boddie Osteen – Cooler’s friend for a half-century – recalled the retired flooring salesman’s determination to get a Little League ballpark for the community. “He didn’t take ‘No’ for an answer,” Osteen said.
Before Cooler got involved, Lutz had one Little League field behind Lutz Elementary School.
Cooler wanted more opportunities for the community’s youth, so he spent two years lobbying the Hillsborough County Commission, before he finally persuaded the board to buy an orange grove, to give the children additional fields.
After they purchased the land, commissioners said it would be a couple of years before the ball fields could be built.
Cooler refused to wait.
He marshaled an army of volunteers to get the job done.
“We had engineers, builders, painters, everything we needed to build a park,” Cooler said in a 2008 interview with The Tampa Tribune. “We had people who didn’t mind getting their hands dirty. Everything that was done, laborwise, was done voluntarily. Within nine months we built this thing.”
The Lutz Park Youth Complex, later renamed in Cooler’s honor, opened in 1975 with three baseball fields. Over time, the complex, at 19045 Crooked Lane, has vastly expanded, now featuring fields for baseball, softball, football and soccer. It also has a playground, restrooms and concession stands, as well as an adjacent nature park.
Osteen, who coached Little League for some five years and umpired for about 35 years, said Cooler’s sole motivation was to provide a wholesome outlet for kids.
As Cooler put it in a 2010 interview with The Laker/Lutz News, “I think kids need to have a safe place to learn about teamwork … If kids don’t have something like this, then they usually get into a lot of things they shouldn’t be doing.”
For Cooler, it was all about the kids – not about having a park named in his honor, Boddie said.
Over the years, generations of families have flocked to Oscar Cooler Sports Complex – with athletes swinging for the fences, scoring touchdowns, making penalty kicks and striking out batters – while families and friends cheered from the bleachers.
“All of our kids played there,” said Dorry Osteen, Boddie’s wife. “The kids played for the Leaguerettes. That was the main entertainment — going to the ballpark.”
She recalls Cooler’s kind heart.
“If they (children) didn’t have the money to play ball, he would see to it that they got to play ball,” she said.
Danny Neeley, a longtime family friend, grew up with Cooler’s sons – Romney, Marc and Craig. He recalls playing at the ballpark when it was still surrounded by orange groves. To this day, the scent of orange blossoms still conjures mental images of baseball for Neeley.
He said he was 6 when he met Cooler. He recalls going over to the Coolers’ house, and if the boys were working, Cooler would tell Neeley to pitch in because the boys couldn’t play until they finished their chores.
That dedication to work and family were themes in Cooler’s life, said his granddaughters, Jamie Cooler and Ashley Beasley, who spoke at his memorial.
They painted a picture of a man who was devoted to his family, enjoyed country music and could move mountains, when he set his mind to it.
They said their grandfather was always deeply interested in what they were doing. They also noted he was never too busy to take time for them, and he would brag about his kids and grandkids to anyone who would listen.
Wilkins said Cooler had the same kind of zeal for the sports complex.
Even as Cooler he grew older, Wilkins said he sometimes bumped into him at the complex.
Cooler would be standing there surveying the softball fields, much like a proud homeowner inspects the front lawn, Wilkins said.
Oscar Cooler was preceded in death by his wife, Sara. He is survived by a daughter, Sondra Turpin, and her husband Allan and by his son, Romney and his wife Debbie; his son, Marc and his wife Melody; and his son, Craig and his wife Lynn.
Cooler’s survivors also include seven grandchildren. They are Ashley Beasley and her husband Adam, Jamie Cooler and her fiancé Doug Coogle, Sierra Matheson and her husband Ryon and Cassie, Tyler and Amanda Marshall.
