Leo Chavarria

Elias “Leo” De La Rosa Chavarria passed away in the late hours of December 9, 2020 at the age of 85, leaving behind a lifetime of irreplaceable memories. His influence over his family and impact on his community demonstrates how one individual can touch the lives of many, using something as simple as the giving of one’s time to make a difference for others.

Growing up as the fourth son in a family of five boys, Leo Chavarria was born in the rural community of Maysfield, Texas to Francisco and Matilde (De La Rosa) Chavarria. He met his wife Consuelo “Connie” Casarez after his family moved to Bryan, and loved to joke about how he wore out a lot of tires bicycling back and forth in front of her house trying to get her attention. Together for sixty-four years of marriage, they raised five children and spent many years volunteering in the local community. Much of Leo’s life revolved around two things: a love of family and a love of baseball.

When he joined the U.S. Army at eighteen and became involved in camp baseball, the lieutenant managing the team noticed Leo’s ability to play and managed to get him an invitation to attend a tryout hosted by the New York Yankees organization. Instead, Leo decided to turn down the opportunity for something better, choosing to return home to Bryan to marry his sweetheart Connie and raise a family. However, he still continued to pursue his love of baseball by playing for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) team and by becoming a volunteer coach for the local Little League. After running an early morning paper route with his family, Chavarria would go straight to his regular job at the Schnadig Corporation furniture company (he later worked as a janitor for Bryan ISD), and then immediately out to the baseball fields. Little League was a huge time commitment for the entire Chavarria household, taking no family vacations in order to spend more time working with the team at daily practices. In addition, Leo often provided transportation for the young players in the neighborhood and pushed his team to become better players and better individuals.

At the time, Bryan-College Station Little League teams competed against each other for a local championship trophy—which was the only trophy given to participating players—and Chavarria’s team claimed the honor in 1974. After coaching Little League baseball and softball for a number of years, he still continued to serve in the capacity of an umpire.

He was surprised and deeply honored in 2005 when members of the community and former players petitioned the Bryan City Council to name one of the baseball fields at the new Little League West facility “Leo Chavarria Field” in recognition of over twenty-five years of volunteer service as a coach and umpire (waiving a previous rule that fields could only be named after deceased members of the community or donors). He was also honored in 2018 with a Lifetime Achievement Award through the Hispanic Forum of Bryan-College Station, which recognized the valuable contributions made to the local community.

Family and friends knew Leo as a man who would make you laugh in even the most solemn of surroundings, a man who loved a good game of dominoes or checkers and who would predict plays in a baseball game before they even happened. Despite being in his eighties, he still loved to attend dances with his favorite dance partner, Connie. His support for the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Steelers was rivaled only by his intense dislike of the Dallas Cowboys, and he enjoyed arguing over the officiating calls even if instant replay proved him wrong. A master storyteller who enjoyed sketching and drawing, a man who never forgot a face and remembered you even if it had been years since the last time the two of you had met.

Even though many years had passed, former players would still walk up to him at his grandchildren and great-grandchildren's athletic events and excitedly introduce their children or grandchildren to "The Coach"—the man who would always be found in the stands or on the sidelines.

As a part of his living legacy, Leo Chavarria is survived by his wife Connie, his children Frankie and wife Mary Chavarria, Leo Jr. “Chato” and wife Sally Chavarria, Connie Chavarria McBroom and husband Bill, Louis “Mike” Chavarria and wife Kim, Mark Chavarria and Jeff Howard, his brother Oscar and sister in law Helen Chavarria and sister- in- law Benita Chavarria; seventeen grandchildren, and seventeen great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, and by his brothers Lawrence Chavarria, Jesse and wife Lupe Chavarria, and Frank Chavarria and wife Lilly.