Glen Cove High School basketball and baseball coach, Jon Dolecki, died on February 18, 2025. The 77-year-old sports coach suffered a fatal heart attack on Tuesday morning and was taken to Glen Clove Hospital.
Born and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey, Dolecki attended Cliffside Park High School.
The baseball coach graduated high school in 1965 and later enrolled at Appalachian State, where he played baseball for four years.
A baseball lover, Jon Dolecki played most of his career as a right-handed pitcher. But the late soul loved not only baseball but was also enthusiastic about basketball.
As a coach, Dolecki won 163 varsity basketball games in 15 years.
After graduating from Appalachian State in 1969, Dolecki began teaching industrial arts in 1971 at Glen Cove High School.
The former sports coach taught industrial arts, like architecture drawing, wood shop, metals, and ceramics for 36 years.
His journey as a sports coach began in 1976 when was appointed the varsity baseball coach for Glen Cove.
He led the team to the Nassau County Finals six times and won the titles on three of those occasions.
The former baseball coach is survived by his wife, Irene Garibaldi, and their three kids, Justin, Jamie, and Katherine.
Jon Dolecki’s Wife, Irene Garibaldi, Speaks About The Unexpected Demise of Her Husband
Jon Dolecki and his wife, Irene Garibaldi, tied the knot in 1972 and were together for 52 years.
Speaking about her husband, Irene said:
We had a wonderful life together. He loved his family, baseball, and golf. And he cared deeply about all his players. This man worked in a very diverse district. He dealt with every nationality and never had a problem. The players loved him.
via: Newsday
Several of Jon’s well-wishers have left their condolence messages on the Facebook group, “Who Grew Up In Glen Cove???”
A Facebook user shared the sad news of Jon’s demise on February 19, 2025, on the group page.
The user wrote, “Jon Dolecki Glen Cove teacher baseball and basketball coach passed away. Rip.”
Several commented on the post and recalled some of their sweet memories with Jon.
A Facebook user wrote, “His memory will always be great with me. He made me the manager of the varsity squad in 1978 when I was a freshman. He gave me a different perspective that I took forward when I coached.”
The user continued, “He not only wanted his team to win. He wanted every one of us to be a success.. whether on the field or in class… if you had talent.. he would hone it.
My condolences to his family and loved ones for their loss.”
One user wrote their time with Jon not as a baseball coach but as an industrial arts teacher.
The user said, “I enjoyed him so much in the wood shop that I took metal shop the next year…looked forward to baseball talk in roll call.
He took pride in GC baseball and would see him rake the baseball field on Sunday most likely his day off….It’s a shame they never named the field after him!! What does it take after 500 wins shameful.”
Jon Dolecki’s Kids Are Mourning The Tragic Loss of Their Dad
In a statement released by Dolecki family, Jon’s son, Jamie Dolecki said their father was battling early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
He also shared that Jon had recently fought against pneumonia before he was taken to the hospital on Tuesday.
Jamie said, “He was a great father and did everything for his kids. He’d drop whatever he was doing to throw me batting practice and drive me all over the place to play ball.
He was an exceptionally loyal guy and well-respected. He was fair and tough on his players.”
Unlike his dad, Jamie didn’t follow the sports route. He was previously an Assistant Kitchen Manager at Union Square Hospitality Group and later joined Murray’s Cheese.
At Murray Cheese, Jamie started as a Production Manager in 2012 and was promoted to Senior Manager of Warehouse Operations in 2016.
A year later, he became the Director of Warehouse Operations, a position he served until 2024.
Currently, Jamie is the Senior Director of Operations at Popup Bagels.
He is married to Gina Dolecki, the vice president at Redpoint, a full-service public relations and marketing firm.
Jon’s other son, Justin Dolecki, graduated from Tulane University, in 1999 with a marketing degree.
From 2002 until 2006, Justin worked as the Director of National Marketing at The Princeton Review.
He later joined Calvin Klein as their Women’s Division Marketing Manager and he later handled the Men’s Division as well.
In 2013, he was promoted to Director of Global Marketing, a position he held for a year, before joining Deckers Brands, where he continues to work.
Jon’s only daughter, Katherine Dolecki-Payton, graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a communication degree in 2010.
She previously worked as a fashion intern for VOGUE and later served as a Marketing and Events Associate at Red Bull.
Katherine worked for FIJI Water during the mid-2010s and is currently the Vice President of Lifestyle Communications at Gregory+Vine.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Jon Dolecki guided his baseball team to 532 wins in 34 years and earned the high school’s only state championship in 1986.
- Dolecki served in the National Guard for six years from 1970-1976 in Teaneck, New Jersey.
