Fair Haven Family Donates Basketball Hoops in Memory of Their Grandfathers

Recently a local family donated two top-of-the-line basketball hoops to the Fair Haven recreation department in memory of their grandfathers who passed away within months of each other.

"We hoped to remember our fathers in a manner that we thought would make a bit of a difference, be subtle, be simple and that they would be proud of," said Tina Brendel.

Tina and Eric Brendel and their three children have been Fair Haven residents since 2004. Their fathers Paul J. Lalama and Philip J. Brendel played an active role in their family and deeply loved their grandchildren. Tina's father, Paul, enjoyed visiting Fair Haven because of how much the town has to offer children. Eric's father, Philip, was a basketball enthusiast, especially with his family on the court.

Paul enjoyed taking his grandchildren for long walks. When the family moved to Fair Haven, the walks Paul took with the grand-kids made him love the town and all that it had to offer. "When he visited, he would spend countless hours building 3-D models of various fictitious buildings," Tina said. "He would build them out of only construction paper, tape and other miscellaneous items he found around the house."

Philip was a gentle and patient soul. He would build Lego sets with the Brendel's son Geoffrey, and he would not get impatient when Geoffrey was more interested in playing then building. Philip and his wife, attended every athletic outing that the children had. "They came to every game, no matter how minor it was," Tina said. "He got the biggest kick out of Geoffery's first flag football game and how 'Brendel' was on the back of his shirt."

Paul passed away on Dec.6, 2009 and Philip passed away on March 21, 2010. Their deaths were shocking and heartbreaking to the Brendel family. As Tina puts it, grandparents are an important puzzle piece to the people we become. The sudden loss of such wonderful men, she said, was tragic for her family.

"We had a really difficult time with both of their deaths as they were both unexpected, shocking and within 3 months of each other," Tina said. "Our youngest daughter will only remember 'Grandpa Paul' and 'Pa' by way of our memories and photographs. She was only two when they passed away."

The Brendels worked with Charlie Hoffmann from the Fair Haven recreation department to come up with the best kind of memorial for the men and Eric Brendel brought the idea to the Recreation Commission.

"The two grandfathers as well as the Brendel's wanted to make a contribution to all of the community in some manner," Hoffman said. "The consensus was that the best impact would be made by purchasing and installing two brand new basketball hoops at the green youth center basketball courts."

At last Monday's council meeting, the Borough Council gave their approval of the new basketball hoops. The next step is to move forward with the installation process. The new hoops should be installed by this upcoming autumn.