OPINION: These three will make heaven a better place

Jun. 29—What a sad day.

Right there on the front of Tuesday's Norwalk Reflector are three stories of death:

— Bill Bader Sr. dies (Former Summit Motorsports Park Raceway owner was 79)

— Stewart loved her Indians (First woman to cover Cleveland's MLB team passes away)

— Bidding farewell to fireman Sean Tyler (Firefighters to give tribute to fallen brother)

But this is not a story about death. It is about life, and how these three people lived their lives to the fullest.

As I write this column, the big American flag is hanging over Main Street in preparation for Tyler's funeral. But that flag could be there for Bader or Stewart, too.

They all left their marks on this world.

Bill Bader Sr.'s story has been told many times in this newspaper over the years.

I dealt with Bader for many years on stories about Norwalk Raceway Park and now Summit Mororsports Park.

Bader's life was like a three-ring circus. He always had something going on ... another big show at the track, another promotion, or another big deal with John Force or Bob Motz.

I loved working with Bader. He always had a great story to tell, which made my job easy.

I remember one time I was in his office getting information about an upcoming show when one of his workers came in looking for money to pay the fireworks guy. Bill pulled open one of the drawers to his desk, flipped through some files then pulled out a wad of cash.

He rolled off a bunch of $100 bills and paid the guy. He just looked at me and smiled.

That's the kind of life Bader lived. He made a lot of money, but he wasn't afraid to spend a lot of money. That's the way his business works.

And he was never afraid to help somebody in need.

The Baders are huggers. When Bill would see you he would greet you with a big bear hug.

That's the kind of guy he was. He will be sorely missed.

Mary Stewart was a one-of-a-kind.

She lived 104 years, and she made the most of her long time on this earth.

She will always be remembered for her time covering the Cleveland Indians in 1948 and her love of the team.

A number of times I would visit Mary for a story about that year's Opening Day and the optimism all Indians fans had.

Mary loved history and, as friend John Schumm stated, "She is a Norwalk icon. She was such a well-rounded woman. She was a pioneer for her time. To think she was a sports correspondent ... how remarkable is this?"

Nobody knows more about the history of Norwalk than Huron County historian Henry Timman.

Timman and Stewart worked together on a number of projects.

"She was faithful to everything she did," Timman said. "Mary Stewart was all about Norwalk."

I couldn't have said it any better.

Sean Tyler's life ended far too early.

Sean was in the same 2003 graduating class at St. Paul High School as our daughter, Jordan.

We followed the two of them throughout their younger years.

One year Jordan was the Pet and Pup Parade queen while Sean was the king. We still have a photo of the two of them together with the bikes they won.

Spring forward to the fall of 2002 when the Lady Flyers won the Division IV state volleyball championship. It was a thrilling three-set match against Marion Local. When the last point hit the floor there was a dog-pile of St. Paul fans as the students rushed the floor.

Leading that charge was Sean Tyler.

He was just one of the good guys. He went on to become a nurse, a firefighter, a husband and a father. He leaves behind a great wife and three young children.

He was great at everything he did.

His life ended far too soon, but he made the most of the 37 years he did have on this earth.

Rest in peace, Bill, Mary and Sean.

Heaven is a better place today.

Joe Centers is Reflector community editor. He can be reached at jcenters@norwalkreflector.com.