Community mourns loss of Guerrero
Middleton baseball manager Brent Jorgensen called Jamie Guerrero an “icon.”
Cardinals basketball coach Kevin Bavery used the term ‘Team Dad.’
And former Middleton baseball skipper Tom Schmitt called Guerrero “one of a kind.”
Guerrero was all that and more, which is why his passing on Dec. 23 hit the Middleton community like a ton of bricks. Guerrero, a long time youth coach and assistant coach in the district, had a lengthy battle with cancer.
He was 53.
“Jamie vowed to be the same person and not let cancer or treatment take away his spirit,” Jorgensen said. “He lived up to his word. He brought energy, excitement, and always kept the focus on his family, his friends, and the kids he coached and mentored.
“The Jim Valvano words that ‘cancer cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul’ fit perfectly. Jamie stayed true to himself and left behind an incredible legacy.”
Schmitt agreed.
“Jamie led by example, he connected with people of all ages and walks of life,” Schmitt said. “If you were having a bad day, five minutes spent with Jamie and your day found laughter, love and knowledge.
“Jamie simply enjoyed being with people and making an impact anyway possible. If you needed a hug, he hugged you! If you needed a “com’n Bro” you heard that from him! If you needed tough love he gave you that. He knew how to read the room and the people he had in that room with him.”
Guerrero was born in Green Bay, moved to Middleton and graduated from MHS in 1990.
He married Stacy Schutz in 2000 and together they raised two children, Jacob and Jackson.
Guerrero was a proud parent and his devotion to his sons was evident in his active involvement in their lives.
Guerrero was hired by longtime Middleton baseball manager Mike Zimmerman in the late 1990s as a JV assistant on Schmitt’s staff. Over the next several years, Guerrero coached at the high school level, coached youth baseball through the Middleton Baseball and Softball Commission (MBSC), and served as president and treasurer of MBSC.
Guerrero was also the driving force behind bringing an indoor facility to the Middleton Baseball and Softball Commission in 2013.
Guerrero’s work with kids was always admirable, and his positivity and passion were second-to-none.
“When you hire a coach to join your high school staff, you hire a person that is of high character, someone that can connect and inspire student-athletes to improve and enjoy the sport, and become part of the program and team,” Schmitt said. “That person must also have a passion for the sport, knowledge of the game and a mind and energy to match the kids.
“This was exactly what we got when Mike Zimmerman brought Jamie onto the staff to be my JV assistant back in the late 1990’s. We hear people are “one of a kind.” Jamie was one of a kind. Energy and giving it his all was his every day way of life. He will be dearly missed.”
Jorgensen, who coached both of Guerrero’s sons at the varsity level, felt the same.
“Jamie was quick to support his players and fellow coaches, passionate about improving young men on and off the field, and was steadfast in his dedication to our community,” Jorgensen said. “His belief in the Middleton community and the young people in it was unmatched.
“That doesn't mean he didn't push people to be better versions of themselves, because he did. But he was always the first one to show a fist bump, a patented ‘Jamie hug’, and words of encouragement. I don't know that I've ever come across another person with that much energy, enthusiasm, and excitement on a day-to-day basis. It was infectious. The care that he showed for young people, his friends, and especially his family was special.”
Bavery, Middleton’s longtime basketball coach who has coached Jackson Guerrero at the varsity level the last three seasons, agreed with both Schmitt and Jorgensen.
“He was willing to have a conversation with anyone at any time, always with a positive outlook, and always advocating for the kids,” Bavery said of Guerrero. “He loved his family deeply and wore his emotions on his sleeve.
“Every time you had the opportunity to connect with Jamie you always felt better afterwards. I think that feeling was pretty universal.”
Guerrero — who was affectionately called “Pedro” — also played with Middleton’s Home Talent League team for several seasons. There, his infectious personality and competitive spirit were always on display, and he did everything possible to help mentor the next generation of players.
“Pedro was the teammate that anyone would want,” said Eric Simon, a former MHS standout who played HTL with Guerrero. “As a veteran player he helped make me feel comfortable right away, maybe by teasing me first, but then letting out that infectious Pedro laugh followed by a hug and attempted kiss on my cheek.
“Pedro was fun to be around always with a great attitude that it takes to handle the failures in baseball. I learned that first summer that Pedro was very competitive as he played the game he loved.”
Simon remembered Guerrero — who was not known for his power — blasting a home run the day after his bachelor party in 2000. Or the legendary bench-clearing-brawl with Waunakee that same year, one in which Guerrero charged the mound after a pitch zipped right past his head.
More importantly, though, Simon remembered the type of father Guerrero was, or the support he showed Rylee Payne of Middleton as she battled childhood cancer from 2016-’18.
“Playing baseball will not be Pedro’s legacy,” Simon said. “Coaching, leading and teaching the game will live on forever through those that were around him. Pedro was a great person. I feel so blessed for the time I got to spend with him.”
Jorgensen was always blown away that no matter where his teams went, or who Middleton was playing, Guerrero’s name came up.
“When playing opposing teams, there were always coaches who knew him and shared stories and a laugh,” Jorgensen said of Guerrero. “Any time ‘Middleton baseball’ was brought up in our community at an event, a restaurant, a youth camp, and so on, there would be a person out of the blue asking ‘Is Jamie still coaching? How's he doing? Tell him I said Hi.’
“It was a running joke among most coaches on staff that you could not go anywhere with Jamie without him running into someone he knew. Or you could not go somewhere in the 608 area code with Middleton Baseball gear on, and not run into someone asking about Jamie. We always laughed about it, but it was pretty incredible how well-known he was.
“I feel lucky and fortunate to have Jamie as a coaching peer and a friend. We worked together in various capacities over the last 10 years and had more fun together than can be put on paper, which is true for almost anyone who spent time with Jamie. His absence will be deeply missed, but still strongly felt by me and throughout our baseball community.”
Guerrero is survived by his wife, Stacy (Schutz) Guerrero, and their sons, Jacob and Jackson Guerrero; his parents, Jesus and Patricia (St. Louis) Guerrero, and in-laws, Gene and Agnes Schutz; his siblings, Lisa Guerrero (Matt Harpster) and Jason Guerrero (Jen Catellier); and many extended family members and close friends.
A visitation will be held at Gunderson West Funeral and Cremation Care, 7435 University Ave., Middleton, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Jan. 2. Kids are welcome at the visitation and are invited to wear their favorite Cardinals or other sports attire in honor of Guerrero, who was widely regarded as Middleton’s No. 1 sports fan.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to the family would be appreciated.
“Jamie was a fellow coach that did so much for us and me,” Schmitt said. “When he walked into the park as a coach or spectator everyone knew that there would be cheers, positive comments and good old fashion ribbing for all to get laughs from.
“Billy Joel sang, ‘Only the good die young,’ He wrote that song about Jamie. He did his work here and now will rest looking down on us all when we need a lift in our daily routines. Just look to the sky and for sure he will smile down to lift your spirits.”
