T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY The seat of longtime Fourth Ward City Councilor Al Hoop was left empty during Monday night’s meeting while a tribute to his love for the Marshalltown Bobcats was placed next to his nameplate. Hoop, who was serving his fifth term in office, passed away last Wednesday at the age of 78.

Although the council chambers were packed to the gills for Monday night’s meeting as attendees made their voices heard on a few major agenda items, one empty seat loomed large over the entire room.

Longtime Fourth Ward Councilor Al Hoop, who was elected to his fifth term in office in November, died last Wednesday night after suffering a heart attack, and a tribute was placed next to his nameplate as his chair was left vacant during Monday night’s meeting. After the public comment period concluded, Mayor Joel Greer, his voice cracking with emotion, asked for a moment of silence to honor Hoop’s memory before he and the councilors took turns sharing their reflections on the man best known as “Coach.”

Mike Ladehoff previously served on the council before Hoop’s tenure began but knew him well before he won a special election to represent the First Ward in 2021. Ladehoff said Hoop was someone he could always turn to with questions or to seek advice, and he truly loved the city of Marshalltown.

“I’m wearing a hoodie because somebody up here now has to wear a Marshalltown hoodie during the city council meetings in his honor,” Ladehoff said in a nod to Hoop’s preferred attire. “One of the things Al had was wisdom, and he wasn’t a man of a lot of words. But when he spoke, you listened. He loved athletics in town, and I know he loved this city. And he loved the people in it. He’s gonna be missed quite a bit.”

Councilor Jeff Schneider and his brother were about the same age as Hoop’s sons, and Schneider looked up to the elder Hoop as “a mover and shaker” who was always doing something important.

“He always treated kids well, warmly and respectfully, and that says a lot about his character,” Schneider said.

Fellow At-Large Councilor Barry Kell, who was communicating remotely from Louisiana, said it hit hard to see the chair sitting empty while watching the YouTube feed and focused his remarks on Hoop’s efforts as a coach — praising him for his 40 mile an hour fastball or his propensity for missing shots and helping basketball players work on their rebounding skills.

“He just played that up so well, and he was doing everything he could to make us better as athletes but truly better as human beings. And you saw that later in life as he stepped out of athletics but still looked to find ways to serve in the community,” Kell said. “As I pursued my candidacy as a councilor, he was one of the first people to reach out that I could place my sign in his yard, and even though he didn’t necessarily put his arm around me, I definitely felt, from my first meeting in chambers, that he was looking after me and definitely in that coaching and mentor mentality. It definitely won’t be the same without him. I do get to continue to work with two of his three sons at Emerson, so his legacy in Marshalltown will definitely continue on.”

Councilor Gary Thompson said most of his thoughts and reflections were aptly summarized in a T-R story that ran over the weekend, but he did share another story about his son Zach’s baseball career and the fact that Hoop, who served as the freshman coach, never got to work with Zach after he was moved up to play with older kids.

“Al always reminded me that he never got to be the head coach for my son, and that was, like, my fault,” Thompson joked.

The two attended auctions together, which prompted Thompson to quip that Hoop bought “some really strange things.”

“Like I said in the paper, I loved Al, and Al tolerated me. That’s the best way to describe it, and Al had a good heart. He was a good guy. I liked him a lot,” Thompson said.

Despite not growing up here, Third Ward Councilor Greg Nichols has spent over 40 years in Marshalltown and got to know his eventual colleague through attending sporting events, where every kid seemed to know Coach Hoop.

“My closer look was the last six months here in council. He was as dedicated and committed to Marshalltown as you’d find in a man. He’d get in his truck and drive around if there’s issues, checking on everything from parking violations to the shape of properties that we might have to do something with,” Nichols said. “Until his last breath, he was dedicated to Marshalltown, dedicated to people, and I appreciate that.”

Second Ward Councilor Mark Mitchell remarked that Hoop always found a way to help kids and saw the good and the potential in them.

“Whether it was just a chat on the street or if it be in the batting cage, wherever he was, the child was number one for him. Truly, Marshalltown will miss him, and I want to thank everyone here for coming to support Al,” he said.

Greer felt it would be too hard to tell his favorite stories without choking up, and he encouraged everyone in attendance or watching online to make their way to the MHS Roundhouse and wear Bobcat colors for Hoop’s celebration of life service, which was held last night.

The moment of silence was then observed, and not a noise could be heard in a crowded room.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.