Middletown mourns the loss of beloved educator & coach
By doug mckenzie
Staff Writer
The Middletown community lost one of its most beloved members this weekend when Richard M. Veth, 54, died at home on Sunday after a courageous bout with cancer.
Veth was an industrial arts teacher and legendary baseball coach in the Middletown Township school district for 32 years, retiring in 2001. Known for his charisma and character, Veth was one of Middletown North’s most popular teachers among both his students and his peers.
But his legacy stretched far beyond the classroom, as his longtime friend and the current athletic director for the Middletown school district, Walter Woods, noted.
"He meant so much to everyone he came in contact with," Woods said. "He was always a gentleman, and he raised the bar as far as teachers and coaches go."
Born in Long Branch, Veth was a lifelong resident of Middletown. He was a 1965 graduate of Middletown Township High School, and went on to earn a bachelor of science degree from Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Ky., in 1969 where he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. He later received a master of education degree in administration from Kean University, Union.
A communicant of St. Mary’s Church in New Monmouth, he was a beloved husband and a loving father, brother and uncle.
Besides his well-publicized coaching career, Veth was also a successful athlete during his high school years. While in high school, he earned all-county and all-Shore honors for the baseball team, and stood out as a center and linebacker on the Lions’ 1964 state championship football team.
After his return to his alma mater, he served as head baseball coach, head wrestling coach, head bowling coach and assistant girls’ basketball coach.
As the head of North’s wrestling program, he turned out several district and regional champions and was honored as the Region VI Coach of the Year in 1978.
But it was on the baseball diamond where Veth truly stood out. As the Lions’ head coach from 1979-2001, his teams amassed a record of 378-189-2, won six Shore Conference A North titles, two New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group IV crowns, one overall Shore Conference Championship and three Monmouth County crowns. He also earned coach of the year honors in several seasons, including being honored at Princeton University by the N.J. Scholastic Coaches Association in 2001.
During his tenure at Middletown North, Veth established one of the Shore Conference’s most prestigious baseball programs, and earned a reputation as a tremendous teacher of the game.
Woods, who coached against Veth when he was the head coach at Middletown South High School in the late 1970s, said he always looked forward to facing his friend.
"He made me a better coach because I had to bring my standards up just to compete with him," he said. "And I imagine he had that affect on many of the coaches he faced."
Woods later went on to become part of the Monmouth College, West Long Branch, baseball program, and always knew where to start when he began the recruiting process.
"Middletown North would always be my first recruiting stop because you knew you would be getting a good student first, and a fundamentally-sound baseball player second," he said. "He took tremendous pride in the teaching he did with the program every day, and was always trying to help make his students and players successful."
And he liked to keep track of his former students and players in the years following their graduation.
"He loved to see the alumni come back, just to see how they’re doing and what they’ve been able to accomplish," Woods said. "Their success was very important to him."
As a token of the community’s appreciation of his efforts, the baseball field at Middletown North was dedicated in Veth’s honor in March of 2001. He was also inducted into the Middletown Lions Hall of Fame and the Jersey Shore Athletic Hall of Fame.
Veth was a member of the Shore Baseball Coaches Association, the Shore Umpires Association and the N.J. Wrestling Association, where this past winter he was honored with a ring for 20 years of service.
Visitation will be held from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. today at John F. Pfleger Funeral Home, Tindall Road, Middletown. A funeral procession will leave the funeral home at 9 a.m. tomorrow for a 9:30 a.m. Mass at St. Mary’s Church. Interment will be at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Middletown.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rich Veth Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 512, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716. Contributions will be used for a scholarship in his name as well as for cancer research.