LYNN — When you talk to a handful of people about Dick Maag, and they immediately jump at the chance to talk about him – you know he was one of a kind.
Maag passed away last week at the age of 83. The Lynn native and longtime resident made the most of his time – just ask those who were closest to him.
“Anybody that will speak of him will tell you fond memories,” his friend Frank Carey said. “He’s just one of those guys… a lot of people are going to miss him.”
Maag coached baseball at Lynn Classical for more than 20 years. He was also part of the city’s school system for 38 years, teaching at Classical and Callahan School before tutoring ahead of retirement.
All of that will get you into the Classical Hall of Fame – Maag, who was a basketball captain in 1957, was inducted in 2019.
A jokester, a character, whatever you want to call him, Maag was it. Carey even considers him the Norm Crosby of high school coaching. Crosby was an American comedian well-known for his friendly, blue-collar humor.
“Everybody will tell you that he was a real, real legitimate character,” Carey said. “The humor and stuff that he would say and do.”
No matter which sport you played, it seems you always remember your first coach. Well, for Tony Nicosia, it was Maag, who was a college freshman coaching Barry Park in the Lynn Park League.
“My fondest memory was playing at Barry Park for him,” Nicosia said.
And it didn’t stop there.
“Low and behold, as the years progressed, we stayed friends,” Nicosia said. “I enjoyed that immensely.”
Someone else who remembered the Barry Park days was Carey. And if you knew Maag, you know he’d slip a jab in there somehow.
“I played for him when I was 14,” Carey said. “Sometimes he likes to hold that over our head – that he was our coach.”
The closing chapter of the group’s friendship was when Carey and Nicosia went to visit Maag a few weeks ago.
“We were glad to see him and glad to visit with him,” Carey said. “I was shocked when I got word that he had passed.”
Another lifelong friend was Tom Iarrobino, who remembers being a fan of Maag as an athlete growing up. From there, it evolved into a wonderful friendship.
“Dick was one of those guys that everyone knew in Lynn,” Iarrobino said. “As time went on and we got out of high school, Dick became a closer friend… I’ve known Dick for over 60 years going all the way back to the teenage years.”
The words gentle, caring, and memorable were used a lot by this group.
Visitation for Maag will be held Saturday in the Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home (157 Maple Street, Lynn) from 10 a.m. to noon. It will be followed by a funeral service at noon in the Funeral Home. Burial will be held in St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
“We plan to go, all of us,” Carey said.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cuffemcginn.com
“He had a heart of gold, he was sincere, and he wanted nothing but the best for you and your family,” Nicosia said. “I’ll miss him dearly… [he was] well-liked by everyone.”
