The Mauler was a gentle giant
Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame member Marchen remembered for hockey, lacrosse and softball prowess
Few can earn the nickname “Mauler” and also be known as a gentle giant but that was Greg Marchen.
Mr. Marchen, elected to the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame in 1988, died Monday at 77 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
A fierce competitor in hockey and lacrosse and a feared hitter in softball, Mr. Marchen also had a soft side that endeared him to friends.
His care for his wife Sharon, who died in August 2018, as she lived with debilitating multiple sclerosis inspired family and friends.
“He was a great guy,” said George Godson, a friend since they were senior B hockey teammates in Belleville.
“He took care of Sharon for years. When they first came to see us in Florida Sharon was walking with a cane and a year later she was in a wheelchair. He doted on her and took care of her like you wouldn’t believe. Most women, if they could find a man like that would be lucky. She came first.”
Godson and Mr. Marchen worked together at Coca-Cola where Mr. Marchen spent 25 years after Outboard Marine closed. They wintered together in Bradenton, Florida for 13 years.
“He was a great athlete. No matter what he played he could do it well,” Godson said.
“He had all kinds of friends and people liked and appreciated him. He was a big defenceman who could take care of himself.”
Mr. Marchen’s sweater No. 2 was placed on the Fence of Honour in right field at George (Red) Sullivan East City Bowl in 2016 to celebrate his softball prowess.
Clair Leahy knew him for 65 years as a competitor and a teammate. He preferred being his teammate.
“As a first baseman he had great range. He was six-two or six-three with long arms and a big stretch,” Leahy said.
“As a hitter he just hit home runs. I don’t think there was any team he played for where he didn’t hit fourth. People got to the point where they’d walk him.
“He was a gentle giant,” Leahy said. “His nickname was Mauler but he didn’t try to intimidate people. I found him to be a gentleman as a player.”
In a touching tribute to appear in Saturday’s Examiner, columnist Don Barrie talks of Mr. Marchen’s relationship with his wife.
Barrie also wrote about what kind of a player Mr. Marchen was stating, “In his playing days, Greg didn’t lose too many battles. Those who played with him always knew Greg had their back and those that competed against him respected his loyalty to his team and the game.”
Born in Newmarket, Mr. Marchen moved to Peterborough at age two and went on to excel in hockey, softball and lacrosse.
He played junior B hockey in Peterborough and nine seasons of senior A in Belleville. He was offered a pro contract with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues but turned it down. In later years, he played with Liftlock Golfland Oldtimers.
Mr. Marchen played 10 seasons at first base in city league softball starting at age 16, but left softball to pursue lacrosse. He joined Peterborough teams of the late 1960s and played with the Lakers winning a Mann Cup in 1973. He played professionally with the Maryland Arrows for two seasons. When the pro league folded he went back to softball where he continued in the industrial league. There, he was named
MVP and four times won batting titles. He was also a longtime hockey referee.
Mr. Marchen is survived by daughter Tammy Raglan, whose husband, Herb, played in the NHL, son Jeff and his wife, Terri Lynn Marchen, and five grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held for Mr. Marchen at the Highland Park Funeral Centre at a date to be determined once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.