His gravelly voice could give you a first impression that he might be a little gruff around the edges.

But Max Lauritzen was nothing but a big teddy bear with a heart of gold, especially when it came to kids playing Little League Baseball.

Max called them the way he saw them for years as an umpire at the Little League, high school and fast pitch church league levels.

He might call you out on the bases or call a strike three on you at the plate, but it was hard to get upset because it was good ol’ Max.

He later served behind the scenes for 20 years for District 20 Little League doing “a little bit of everything,” as he liked to describe it, as well as for Princeton Youth Baseball before that.

In all, he was involved with Little League Baseball for 51 years. He was all-in for the kids.

“It’s all about the kids and helping them however I can,” Lauritzen said in a 2021 interview.

Sadly, Max passed away on Nov. 19 at the age of 86. He is deeply remembered by all the lives he touched and worked with over the years.

District 20 Administrator Tim Trevier, who got to visit with Max a day before he passed, worked closely with Lauritzen over the years. Even Trevier wasn’t sure what to think of Lauritzen the first time they met.

“I thought he was a grumpy old (man),” Trevier said with a laugh. “But as I got to know him, we became really tight. The times we had together, ‘oh my God.’ Our bond was really, really good.

“He was a really good human being. He is the epitome of volunteerism. You can’t find anybody that can top him. He was a legend. When he retired he was sorely missed then. He was a great guy. He had 51 years in Little League. Think about that.”

Trevor said Lauritzen, who was recognized by the Central Region in 2010 as Assistant District Administrator of the Year, kept the District 20 Little League running smoothly. When asked about all that Lauritzen did, Trevier said it was more what he didn’t do.

“He took care of all the logistical, all the many twisted pieces Little League has to offer, paperwork,” Trevier said. “He helped with scheduling the tournaments. Took care of all the emails, answered them and if he couldn’t answer them he’d send them on to me.

“He did all the ordering of pins and flags for district champions, sectional champions, state champions if we happen to be hosting a state tournament. And he took care of the umpires and made sure housing was done for them and uniforms were ordered. All that good stuff.”

Mark Judy, another District 20 stalwart who is the longtime vice president for Peru Little League Softball Inc. and District 20 secretary, once described Lauritzen as like a computer.

“When you need to know something, he knew who to call to find out whether in the district, Central Region or Williamsport [Pennsylvania]. He knew it all or knew how to find out,” Judy said.

Diminishing eyesight led to Lauritzen retiring from most of his District 20 duties in 2021, but even then he said he was only “99%” sure he would retire.

Trevier remembers a humorous moment he shared with Lauritzen at the time.

“My wife and I bought him a magnifier for his computer screen because of his eyesight. It attached right to the monitor, but we hadn’t got that far yet with it,” Trevier said. “I can still remember to this day, he was looking through it and he looked like two big frog eyes looking at me. And I’m laughing, and he said, ‘What the Hell you laughing at.’ I said, ‘your eyes.’”

Those kind of moments with Max and his countless contributions to Little League Baseball will last Trevier and others a lifetime.