PORTLAND — Ted Volger was a respected real estate appraiser and a dedicated youth baseball coach who led Portland teams to four state championships and earned a place in the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.
Coaching was a big part of his life, but nothing topped his love and devotion for his wife and three children.
Additional Photos
He died Tuesday after a fight against colon cancer. He was 50.
Mr. Volger coached Little League and Babe Ruth baseball players for 18 years. He also coached the Vikings in Portland’s Little Ladd youth football league, and Deering High School’s junior varsity baseball team for two seasons.
His wife, Julie Volger of Portland, said Wednesday that he was a mentor to his players. She said her husband led by example. For years, he used his lawn mower to maintain the grass at the city’s baseball fields. He also put chalk along the base lines and raked the infield dirt, his wife said.
“It was a pride thing,” she said. “He loved and respected the game of baseball. Part of that was taking care of the fields so the kids would feel good about where they were playing…. He loved teaching kids the game.”
Mr. Volger grew up in Portland’s Libbytown neighborhood. He was a standout athlete on Portland High’s baseball and football teams. He graduated in 1979.
In 1987, Mr. Volger began his career in the real estate industry. Around 1998, he started his own business, Volger Real Estate Appraisal Services.
“He was always professional and courteous to his clients,” his wife said. “He treated people fairly and honestly. If he committed to a deadline, he always (got) it done. He was not only good at what he did, but he enjoyed getting up and going to work every day.”
Mr. Volger decided to work from home to be there for his daughter, Angela, who’s now 29, and his sons Teddy, 20, and Nick, 16. He took them to practices, helped with homework, cooked dinner most nights and went to all of their games.
“He didn’t want to miss anything,” his wife said. “At night, he would finish the work he needed for the next morning. Even during the four years that he’s been sick, he scheduled his chemotherapy appointments and doctor’s appointments around our children’s activities and his coaching commitments.”
In November 2007, he was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. His wife said he lived his life to the fullest.
“He was bound and determined that he would fight with every ounce of energy to live as long as he could,” she said.
“I’ll miss talking to him and laughing with him. I’ll miss all the special times we could have spent together. I want him to be here with me. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.”
Mr. Volger had a passion for fishing and hunting.
He enjoyed spending time with his family at their camp on Pequawket Lake.
The Portland High boys’ basketball team paid its respects to him in Tuesday night’s game, wearing wristbands with his initials. Nick Volger is a junior guard for the Bulldogs. He played in Tuesday’s game.
“Nick told me that he knew his father would be watching him from heaven,” said Julie Volger. “He started the game and played his heart out like he always does.”
The team has postponed Friday night’s game at Marshwood out of respect for Mr. Volger. The game has been rescheduled for Dec. 15.
Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:
mcreamer@pressherald.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.