Not long after throwing out a first pitch at a state high school baseball game Saturday morning, a sport deeply part of John Haefeli’s life, the Greeley native and former baseball player, coach and educator died after a nearly year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Haefeli, a member of the Aims Community College Board of Trustees at the time of his death, was 13 days from his 68th birthday.
Haefeli, whose survivors include his wife, Delia, played baseball at Colorado State University, and he served the game later locally as a clinician, coach and administrator.
He appeared at Butch Butler Field on Saturday in Greeley to throw out the first pitch before the first game of the Class 3A state championship between University High and Coal Ridge from New Castle.
The Class 3A state tournament was named for Haefeli, a University High graduate and head coach of the Bulldogs baseball team from 1988-90. He was also an assistant coach and a volunteer coach at the University of Northern Colorado on three different occasions into the early 2000s.
Haefeli was a longtime site director for Colorado High School Activities Association baseball, basketball and tennis tournaments. He was also a longtime basketball official at different levels of the game dating to the late 1970s. Haefeli coached tennis at University and Greeley West high schools, and he was involved with the game at the youth and recreational levels, including serving as the chairman of the Tennis Association of Greeley from 2009-12.
“What was remarkable about John in almost a year battling cancer was his attitude,” said Larry Atchison, a Fort Collins resident and colleague on the Poudre Learning Center Foundation. “I asked him about that, and he said, ‘People don’t want to hear from someone who is down in the dumps.’
“He was also so positive, right to the end.”
Board member John Haefeli, right, speaks during a special meeting of the Greeley-Evans School District 6 Board of Education at the district administration building in downtown Greeley on Aug. 27, 2021. (Alex McIntyre/Greeley Tribune file photo)Funeral service information is pending.
Longer than Haefeli’s accomplishments, achievements and involvement in sports is the list of his work in education and in the Greeley community at large.
In November 2023, Haefeli ran for and won a term on the Aims Board of Trustees — two years after completing his terms on the Greeley-Evans School District 6 Board of Education.
A teacher by profession, Haefeli had a history degree from CSU and taught for 26 years in District 6. He was active at Greeley West as a coach and administrative work such as serving as a coordinator in the school’s international baccalaureate program.
Delia Haefeli joined John in the civic and educational pursuits.
Both Haefelis earned master’s degrees from UNC. Combined, they spent more than 75 years in education with work at the university and in District 6. Delia also coached in Greeley schools.
Through the District 6 fundraiser arm, The Success Foundation, the couple established the Delia and John W. Haefeli Opportunity Fund to close equity gaps and remove financial barriers for District 6 students.
John Haefeli, middle, poses for a photo moments after throwing out the first pitch before the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 3A Baseball Championship between University High and Coal Ridge on Saturday at Butch Butler Field in Greeley. Haefeli, a former University High baseball coach and sport administrator, died later in the day. (Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)The fund provided needs such as internet access, course fees and money to cover costs for extracurricular activities, according to the fund webpage on The Success Foundation website.
The Haefelis also fund a scholarship for The Greeley Dream Team, a nonprofit and District 6 partner organization that helps more than 1,600 students annually from diverse backgrounds reach high school graduation and in options after high school.
John Haefeli said his decision to run for the Aims board seat two years ago was based on his interest in helping students.
“I watched Aims grow up,” he said. “Now there are four campuses and aviation in Loveland. It’s the same thing as the school board for me. I want to serve the students, staff and county in a positive manner. It’s been an ally for so many different entities and great for countless students.”
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