Tars tennis coach dies

Patrick Laverty

Charlie Bleiker, who taught and coached at Newport Harbor High for 28

years, died Monday of natural causes at the age of 66.

The longtime tennis coach, also known as “Tex,” retired from

education more than four years ago after serving time as the Sailors’

football coach, boys tennis coach and girls tennis coach.

His death, which came suddenly while he was spending the day at

the beach with one of his six grandsons, has already sparked an

outpouring of support from those that he touched most during his

years as an educator and coach.

“Everybody loved him,” Bleiker’s wife Karen said. “I’m finding

that out more and more every day.”

A memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Davidson

Field at Newport Harbor High. All are welcome to attend and Karen is

asking that they dress comfortably.

“If he was there, he’d be in shorts and a baseball hat,” Karen

Bleiker said.

That uniform aptly describes a man who was enjoying his retirement

after nearly 40 years as a teacher and coach.

“I call it paradise,” Bleiker told the Daily Pilot in May. “I

never get bored. I don’t want to go back to work. I had a great time

and basically, everything I wanted to accomplish, I accomplished.”

A former tennis player at Abilene Christian University and in the

Army, in which he served three years after being drafted in 1960,

Bleiker became a teacher and coach, first in New Mexico and West

Texas before moving to California in 1970.

After a short stint at Costa Mesa High, Bleiker found a home for

the next 28 years at Newport Harbor.

“He really appreciated the underdog,” Bleiker’s son, Chuck said.

“He’d give as much time to kids that weren’t as talented as he gave

to those that were talented on the tennis court.”

After his retirement, Bleiker also found out that he touched not

only the athletes he coached, but the students he taught as well.

“He was totally loving retirement,” Karen said. “Since he’s

retired, the last few years, so many kids have come by, have stopped

him in the market, have stopped us in a restaurant and said, ‘You

made such a difference in my life.’ ”

His influence was also felt by his three children, all of whom

followed him into the field of education. His son, Chuck, earned a

Ph.D. and became a professor at Florida International University. His

two daughters, Kelli Jones and Karen Supkoff, also became teachers.

All three of Bleiker’s children also married teachers.

“We saw the joy he got out of teaching and the joy he got out of

making a difference in people’s lives,” Chuck said. “We saw how much

people appreciated my father.”

According to his wife, Bleiker was in good health and his death

shocked even his doctor. Bleiker did have diabetes and mild high

blood pressure, but that was controlled by aspirin.

He was with one of his six grandchildren, 14-year-old Joshua, at

the beach on Monday when he died.

“We think it was very peaceful,” his wife said. “They were boogie

boarding and then they had lunch. They had brought sandwiches. After

lunch, he said he was tired and he took a nap.”

Attempts to wake Bleiker were unsuccessful. His wife said he died

of an arrhythmia.

Though sudden and unexpected, the manner in which Bleiker lived

during his short retirement is a small consolation.

“He had a dream retirement,” Chuck Bleiker said. “He and his wife

traveled a lot. Being able to live in Newport was a dream, especially

coming from West Texas, growing up in poverty, without a father.”

While Bleiker was living out a dream of his own, he was a strong

force in helping many of the students and athletes reach their own

dreams throughout his career.

It is those memories that Bleiker’s family is happy to hold on to.

“That’s the one thing helping the most,” Karen said. “I knew

people liked him, but the outpouring we’ve already received has been

overwhelming.”