LEWISTON, Maine — Friends of Ron Morin, one of the 18 victims who died in the mass shooting events in Lewiston on Oct. 25, are remembering him as someone who cares deeply for others and was always smiling.
Morin, a 55-year-old from Lewiston, was playing cornhole at Schemengee's with the bar's manager, Joey Walker, on the night of the shooting, Morin's friends said. Walker was also killed.
"I mean, it didn't feel real. It still really doesn't feel real," Chase Cote said. "We knew we were probably going to be connected and affected by this, not just because it was in a community but people we were close with."
Morin worked for Coca-Cola as a Sales Merchandiser since 1989, his friends and the company said.
Cote and his friend Derek Haskell knew Ron Morin well. Morin was a family friend they would get dinners with, play street hockey with, and in Derek's case, work with. Ron and Derek are softball umpires.
"It was just his infectious smile and comedy that he brought with things, which was great. He would always ask about my family," Haskell said. "The last time I worked with Ron, I had had my kid by then. Ron asked, 'How's [your] kid doing?' It would just be things other than what we're doing at the time, because he was caring, he was compassionate, and he was. He was there for people when you needed them. Ron was a great person."
In honor of Morin and Walker, Cote and Haskell are organizing a fundraising softball tournament. Walker also was a fixture in the recreational softball community in Lewiston. The tournament has grown in donations and teams, where Cote and Haskell now say the money they raise will help support all 18 victims' families. Registration is already full, but there is a waitlist.
"I have teams that have never even played softball that are showing up to do this just because they want to give back to these people. It's evolved so much where we have went from just honoring Ron and Joey just because they were part of the community to now we're going to get back to it all 18 victims as part of this," Haskell said. "The day that we give the funds to 18 of these family members that are impacted here is going to be right up there with the best days of my life just to let them know that this community really, really loves and cares about them."
The tournament takes place at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Randall Road Ball Fields in Lewiston.
Organizers say there will also be a raffle and food trucks, and other ways for people to support the victims' families. Dove Tail Bats, a Skowhegan-based company which makes baseball bats for players in the MLB, is donating 30 commemorative wooden “Lewiston Strong” adult softball bats for attendees to purchase. They say every penny will go to the victims' fund.
There are 25 teams registered, with a waitlist for other teams to get involved. Haskell and Cote said umpires are volunteering their time to work the event, and that they hope to make the tournament an annual event.
You can find more information about the tournament on the event's Facebook page, Instagram page, or website.