Beloved Montauk Father, Baseball Enthusiast Dies Of Coronavirus

MONTAUK, NY — Ken Weldon died of the coronavirus April 19 at the Westhampton Care Center. He was 83.

The following is his obituary, written by his family:

"Kenneth Richard Weldon was born on December 1, 1936 to Peter and Margaret Morris Weldon. He grew up in Brooklyn where he played stickball and box ball. After moving to Hicksville, he attended St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay where he was a standout athlete. After graduating from the University of Dayton, he joined the Army National Guard and was honorably discharged in 1966.

"Ken married Loretta Chorney on November 11, 1962. They moved to Montauk in 1963 where he took a position with the Montauk Beach Company selling real estate. Retiring in the 1980s, he became a salesman for Eber Brothers Wine & Liquor Corporation until 2000.

"In 1966, Ken was one of the originators of the Amagansett slow pitch softball league. He played for the Montauk Improvement Company, Ecker Insurance, Tipperary, Pacific East, Della Femina, the Independent and a few other teams.

"As a young man, he played shortstop and second base but when his arm began showing signs of resistance he moved to the pitcher’s mound.

"In an East Hampton Star article in 2000, Jack Graves said: 'Weldon, who had been in the league since 1966, has won 300+ games and is still one of the league’s premier pitchers, possessing the ability to get the tough outs when the game is on the line.'

"In another news article, Len Bernard said, 'You add in Weldon, a guy who’s over 70 who’s pitching to kids who are 18 years old. . . who are using aluminum bats. . . and he’s getting them out. Kenny’s just amazing.'

"Weldon pitched his last playoff game in 2010 at the age of 74, winning around his 20th championship.

"In a letter to the editor in the East Hampton Star on April 20, 2020, Rob Nicoletti said: 'I will never forget the day we met. I was 10 years old, playing baseball in my front yard in Montauk with my brother Jim, which we did pretty much every afternoon. This little car drove past, backed up and pulled into the corner of our lot by the Tipperary Inn, and Kenny got out, and he has been a big part of my life ever since. He was my coach for Babe Ruth Baseball for three summers and he led us to an undefeated championship season in 1970. We would load our gray-flanneled selves into his station wagon for our away games. During these trips Kenny would talk a lot about baseball and he raised our baseball IQs. He also talked a lot about music, which raised our music IQs. Most of us listened to the pop music on WABC but Kenny introduced us to WPLR and different genres of music. I can still hear him saying, ‘Hey, hey, it’s a little Bob Dylan.’ We were a bunch of 14-year-olds rocking out to ‘The times, they are a’changing.’ I’m 64 now, and still playing softball, and occasionally someone will say, ‘You’re going to be another Kenny Weldon.’ There will never be another Kenny Weldon.'

"Ken Weldon and Nicoletti were teammate for 37 years in the Amagansett slow pitch league.

"A gathering of teammates and players from the Amagansett slow pitch league showed up at the softball field on Saturday, April 25 to wish Ken a heartwarming farewell. Len Bernard posted an announcement on Facebook about Nicoletti’s plan for a drive-by to honor Kenny at the softball field parking lot. Every person that lined the parking lot in their cars held signs paying tribute to #10. Len Bernard’s sign said it best: '#10 On The Field, #1 In Our Hearts.' Ken’s daughters, Christine and Melissa, played 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' by Carly Simon, which had been their father’s wish. Then, Rob Nicoletti led the procession of cars which followed the family to Fort Hill Cemetery in Montauk where Ken was laid to rest.

"Ken loved all things baseball. He was a Yankee fan through and through. Phil Rizzuto was his favorite player, followed closely by Dodger shortstop, Pee Wee Reese. He loved his family, music, photography, reading, drinking wine and dancing. As a young man, he ran marathons and became an avid walker, especially on the beach. One of his favorite expressions was, 'The wind knows my name in Montauk.' A loving, caring, happy person with a gentle spirit, Ken was diagnosed in 2015 with Alzheimer’s disease.

"Ken is survived by his wife Loretta, his daughters Christine Indeglia (Robert) and Melissa Wallace (Terry) and his grandchildren Bobby and Alexandra Indeglia.

The Weldon family will be having a memorial service in the near future."