Suzanne Romswinckel in Memorium
The Santa Cruz County soccer community lost one of its most dedicated referees on March 17, 2006, when Suzanne Romswinckel, 57, passed away after a long battle with breast cancer.
Suzanne was born in Walnut Creek, California, and graduated from Del Valle High School, where she played softball and participated in the band. After receiving her AA degree from Diablo Valley College, she began a career managing dental offices, and worked with energy and skill until one month before her untimely death.
Her love of sports lasted her entire life. She played co-ed soccer and softball as an adult, and was an accomplished pitcher who befuddled her opponents, both female and male. She coached her children's sports teams, and spent hours practicing with her children. Her son Mike noted that she was the only mother he could recall who could put on a catcher's mitt and work with hardball pitchers—never wearing catcher's gear and participating in each session until her son's arm finally tired. Suzanne was truly dedicated to her children, and did a fine job of raising them. Both Mike and her daughter Cari are poised, capable and talented young adults.
Her toughness in athletics mirrored her approach to life. She stood her ground and defended her position with tenacity in all areas, and refused to compromise her principles. These character traits served her well while working with the soccer referee program in the Tri-Valley area, as well as when she moved to Santa Cruz County and helped found the Santa Cruz County Soccer Referee Association (SCCSRA) in 1997.
Suzanne assigned officials for high school, CYSA and Y-League in Santa Cruz County from 1997 - 2006. During this time she also managed the entire paperwork effort for the organization. The effort she dedicated to the soccer referee program in Santa Cruz County cannot be overstated. During any given season, she was the heart of the program.
However, she did not only work behind the scenes, but she officiated countless games as well. Suzanne worked hard to give her best in every game, and was one those rare officials who could handle almost any match, but instead chose to work within her existing skill set. She would not compromise a match by accepting an assignment that she felt might be beyond her ability. Suzanne wanted to do the right thing at all times, and was both courageous and humble.
Such dedication to principle was a hallmark of her character. In 2003, she suffered a battery by a male spectator at a youth game, and pressed criminal charges. She refused to accept indifference to the incident from the league or the county, and the offender was ultimately convicted, with the resulting story published both in newspapers and on broadcast news. Her courage in this matter was a significant contributor to the modification of coach and spectator behavior in the county. Coupled with her tireless and monumental effort on behalf of the SCCSRA, Suzanne substantially and positively affected youth soccer in Santa Cruz County. The high standards she helped the SCCSRA set had a measurable impact on the quality of the soccer in the county, and her efforts touched the lives of thousands of young people who love the game.
And, while Suzanne was tough and highly principled, she was equally caring and warm. She worked with disadvantaged children in the community and participated in various non-sport-related philanthropies as well. She was like a classic den mother: firm with her charges, but loved by them for her kindness, compassion and dedication.
Suzanne approached her battle against cancer with a stoic yet cheerful attitude, and over multiple years fighting the illness, she continued to serve the community and care for her family. She maintained her dry sense of humor and discussed her condition in a matter-of-fact and wry manner. Throughout chemotherapy and radiation treatments, she refused to let the disease get in the way of the things she loved: serving the community and providing love and care to her friends and family.
Suzanne is survived by her children, Mike and Cari, and by her husband of eight years, Art Romswinckel. Though she is deeply missed by all who loved her, Suzanne's legacy of service to the soccer community, and to the community at large, will endure and inspire others to carry on in her name.