Family friend and OCC assistant baseball coach Kent Watanabe (third from left) is scheduled to be among the speakers Monday for the Celebration of Life for Coach John Altobelli and his family. (Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone)
Friends and family of former Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli will be speaking at the Celebration of Life Monday afternoon at Angel Stadium for the Altobelli famly at Angel Stadium.
STORY AND PHOTOS FROM MONDAY’S CELEBRATION OF LIFE
The event begins at 4 p.m. and admission is free. Gates will open at 3 p.m. The ceremony is expected to last about 90 minutes. It will be held around the third base dugout, according to an Angels spokesperson.
The ceremony will honor the Altobelli family, John 56; his wife Keri, 43; and the daughter’s youngest daughter Alyssa, 13, who were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, Jan. 26 along with six others, including Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna, 13.
The Angels released a list of scheduled speakers Monday: Erik Rees (family friend and pastor); JJ Altobelli (son); Lexi Altobelli (sister); Carly Konigsfeld (JJ’s fiancé); Clarke Smith (longtime friend of John); Lori Lever (Keri’s best friend); Jeff Piaskowski Sr. and Jeff Piaskowski Jr. (John’s longtime friends and coaches); Sammy Forbath (Alyssa’s best friend); Derek Sanders (Keri’s brother); Josh Belovsky (John’s longtime friend and coach); Kent, Annie, and Lee Watanabe (family friends of the Altobellis); Buck Taylor (friend and coached against John); Allison and Emily Eadie (friend of Keri and friend/teammate of Alyssa); David Pierce (college roommate and longtime friend of John).
The Orange Coast College baseball players and coaches are among the players scheduled to attend.
Free parking will available in the stadium lots off State College and Orangewood Avenue. Entrance for the public will be through the home plate gate.
RELATED: Photos and stories from Altobelli tribute at OCC
-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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