GAIL ANN AUDINO
Cedar Rapids
Gail Ann Audino, 62, of Cedar Rapids, passed away
peacefully surrounded by her family on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, in her home from a
courageous battle with cancer. Celebration of Life services will be at 2 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 11, at Brosh Chapel in Cedar Rapids, located at 2121 Bowling St.
SW. A time of food and fellowship will follow in The Avacentre.
Gail was born Nov. 9, 1953, in Pueblo, Colo., the
daughter of Ted and Jonnie (Avery) Miller. She graduated from Colorado State
University with a bachelor of science degree in 1976. Gail was united in
marriage to James Audino on May 30, 1981, in Pueblo. She was a microbiologist
for over 37 years, working most recently at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar
Rapids, until her retirement in 2013. Gail enjoyed gardening, nature, her pets
and most of all spending time with her family.
Gail is survived by her loving husband, Jim; two
children, Bonnie (Matt) Cessna of Coralville and Adam (Laura) Audino of
Hanover, Md.; a grandson, Nolan Cessna; her two brothers, David (Enid) Miller
of Highlands Ranch, Colo., and Dick (Jackie) Miller of Pueblo, Colo.; as well
as her niece, Cori Miller; and nephew, James Miller.
Gail was preceded in death by her parents.
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Vern Rapp
Broomfield, CO
Vern
Rapp made his managing imprint on Denver Bears
Rapp
died on New Year's Eve at age 87
A baseball
history has come to a close with the passing of Vern Rapp.
Rapp
died on New Year's Eve at age 87, leaving behind a long career in baseball at a
time before big paychecks and team payrolls that far exceed $100 million a
year.
While
Rapp made it to the major leagues twice as a manager — with the St. Louis
Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds — he earned his baseball wings with the Denver
Bears.
Rapp
was a catcher as a player and first came to Denver in 1958 to play for the
Bears. He was back with the Bears as a coach in 1960, when they won the
American Association title under manager Charlie Metro.
Rapp
got his chance to manage in 1976 and guided the Bears to the regular-season
championship and a postseason championship. The Bears, a farm system of the
Montreal Expos organization at the time, won the regular-season title by 13½
games.
"Except
for maybe the pitching, I think our 1976 team was right up there with the
Yankee (farm) teams of the 1950s as the best-ever in Denver," Rapp said after
the 1976 season. "We were five games out on the Fourth of July and came on
to win."
Rapp's
connection to Bob Howsam in Denver led to his gaining managerial jobs with the
Cardinals in 1977 and the Reds in 1984. After guiding the Cardinals to an 83-79
record in 1977, he was replaced after a 6-11 start the next season. He left
Cincinnati after a 51-70 start in 1984, getting replaced by Pete Rose, who took
over as the player/manager.
Rapp's
introduction to baseball came at a time when there were few frills, and he
managed that way.
"I
wanted my players to play hard, run out groundballs. That was just part of the
business," Rapp said. "I was a no-nonsense manager. I expected my
players to be on time. I treated them as adults."
Bears
general manager Jim Burris held Rapp in high regard.
"Vern
was a very good manager who knew the game," Burris said. "He was
tough but fair. Players responded to him very well. The 1976 team had one of
the highest winning percentages (.632) of any of our clubs. He was the
minor-league manager of the year."
Rapp stayed in Colorado through his retirement years. He liked to
fly-fish, and he had a favorite spot on the Poudre River west of Fort Collins.
By Irv Moss
The Denver Post
