Robert "Bob" Marengo, an avid baseball fan who shared his enthusiasm for life and the game with Citrus Heights youngsters as a Little League coach and official for 15 years, died Saturday. He was 80.

Robert Marengo was active in District 5 Little League in Citrus Heights in the 1970s and 1980s. He coached teams, volunteered on district staff for tournaments and served as chief umpire for several years.

He stressed playing over winning, patiently tutoring youngsters on the fundamentals of pitching and catching. He devised fun ways to learn, letting young players lob pitches at each other to overcome fears of being hit by the ball, and teaching them how to swing a bat by whacking at a tire hanging over a fence.

"It wasn't about if we win or lose," said his son, who spent 10 years in youth baseball. "It was about whether we played a good game."

Besides baseball skills, Mr. Marengo taught valuable life lessons, including discipline, hard work, sportsmanship and how to accept losing, former players said. He organized field trips to Giants and A's games that fostered team spirit and friendships.

Most important, former players said, he showed he cared about them. Twice a week, he piled youngsters into the back of his pickup truck for a run to Dairy Queen. They could always count on him to join impromptu games, even after a long day behind the wheel of a delivery truck.

"He would spend hours with us in these massive kickball games – this one guy and 35 or 40 kids," former neighbor Matt Corbin said. "I don't think I've ever met anyone who touched more people's lives than Bob. He was such a mentor and role model for so many people."

"You always remember the coaches who were good to you and really helped you, and that was Bob," former player Roger Hume said. "He was very generous with his time with Little League and kids."