An iconic figure in Escalon, retired longtime teacher and coach Robert ‘Bob’ Loureiro passed away over the weekend.
Known for coaching championship baseball and football teams at Escalon and impacting students both in the classroom and on the athletic fields, Loureiro had just turned 89 years old in mid-August.
Son Mark Loureiro announced his dad’s passing, explaining that he passed away in his sleep at Memorial Hospital in Modesto, where he had been admitted and was being treated for pneumonia.
He had been at an assisted living facility in Modesto for the last several months, moving there at the end of April.
The elder Loureiro passed away early morning Saturday, Sept. 19.
Mark Loureiro said his dad had hoped to get out to the first Escalon football game of the season to cheer on the Cougars but wasn’t strong enough at that time, and never regained his strength.
“Me and him had talked about this,” Mark added. “We’re going to have a private family burial out at Burwood and then we’re going to plan a Celebration of Life for the spring, for baseball season.”
Bob Loureiro was inducted into the Escalon Unified School District Hall of Fame in May, 2024. Following is information provided in the program at the induction ceremony:
He attended schools in Escalon and graduated from Escalon High School in 1955. After attending Delta College, he transferred to the University of the Pacific and graduated with a double major in Physical Education/History, a BA degree, and teaching credential. At both Delta and UOP, he played football and baseball.
After teaching and coaching at Sonoma Valley High School, Bob returned to Escalon High School in 1961 to work with and under his mentor Lloyd Engel. He taught at EHS for 37 years before retiring in 1998. He coached football for 16 years, baseball for 42 years, started the wrestling program, and served over 25 years as EHS Athletic Director. As the baseball coach, his teams won a total of 605 games and he was selected as Trans-Valley League Coach of the Year numerous times. He was selected to coach the Lions All-Star Football Game, three times to coach the Sac Joaquin Section All-Star Game, and the California State Baseball All-Star Game. After he retired, the EHS baseball diamond was named after him in his honor.
Bob has also been inducted into the CIF Sac Joaquin Hall of Fame and the California Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bob raised his family in Escalon and all of his kids attended Escalon schools. Mark followed in his footsteps and served as football coach, baseball assistant coach, and athletic director.
During Bob’s tenure as a teacher, coach and athletic director, he affected the lives of many students and athletes, teaching lifetime skills and providing athletic experiences that remain an important part of their lives. He helped establish the reputation of EHS sports teams as disciplined, hard-fighting, and rules-abiding. He helped usher in the expansion of high school sports to include girls’ teams and provide athletic possibilities to the entire student body.
A formal obituary will appear in a future issue of The Times.
