Altobelli Family Members Killed With Kobe Bryant Honored By Crowd At Memorial

Feb 11, 2020 by apost team

Hundreds of people gather to honor the Altobelli family members who were lost in the same helicopter crash on January 26th that took the lives of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. The memorial was public and held Monday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.

Several members of the community came out to the Angel Stadium in Anaheim to take part in the public memorial held for the members of the Altobelli family who lost their lives along with Kobe and Gianna Bryant and others in the fatal helicopter crash. The helicopter was transporting the group to a youth basketball tournament when it crashed outside of Los Angeles in the foggy weather.

The Angel Stadium service in Anaheim commenced with a reading of the nine total names of the victims of the crash, of course including Bryant and his daughter. This memorial specifically honored the Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and their teenage daughter, Alyssa, who was a member of Bryant's youth basketball team.

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As seen in the memorial's livestream, a podium stood in the middle of the stadium field and was decorated with flower bouquets, photos and sports jerseys. In one photo, Altobelli's daughter Alyssa was shown holding a basketball with a smile.

The memorial even included a photo slideshow that was played on stadium screens. It showed the family at different basketball and baseball events, boating, laughing, and sitting by their Christmas stocking adorned chimney.

According to ESPN, Pastor Erik Rees was a good friend of John Altobelli and recalled meeting him for the first time eight years ago while he was mourning the loss of his 12-year-old daughter to cancer. Rees recounts that Altobelli dedicated a game to his late daughter and met Rees at third base to give him a hug to show his support. 

Rees said, "that is one of the many things I am going to miss is an 'Alto' hug."

During the 56-year-old's more than two decades at Orange Coast, Altobelli won more than 700 games as the coach. He was also named coach of the year last year by the American Baseball Coaches Association after he led the Pirates to win their fourth state title. 

Known as "Alto," the coach also managed the Brewster Whitecaps for three seasons during the Cape Cod Summer League. He coached players such as the New York Yankees' outfielder Aaron Judge and the New York Mets' infielder Jeff McNeil, among others. 

Altobelli's late daughter's intermediate school in Newport Beach retired her basketball jersey after her death, but he is survived by his son J.J., who scouts for the Boston Red Sox as well as his sixteen-year-old daughter Lexi. 

Seven people along with Kobe and Gianna Bryant died on January 26th when their helicopter met a hillside outside of Los Angeles and crashed. Others killed in the crash include Christina Mauser, who helped coach Bryant's youth team, Payton Chester and her mother Sarah, as well as the helicopter pilot, Ara Zobayan.

The memorial honoring the family was a meaningful tribute. If you want to show your support, you can donate to the Altobelli Family Memorial Fund. Pass this along to others so they can show their support too.