Bud Fassel, Equipment Manager, Dies

Bud Fassel, the equipment manager at Anaheim High School for more than 25 years, died in a traffic accident this week, family members and school officials said Thursday. He was 73.

Fassel, who was responsible for outfitting and providing equipment for all the high school’s teams before he retired in 1980, was well-known for his unofficial role as a counselor to the athletes when they were having problems, said Dan Miller, school athletic director.

“When kids who had graduated came back, Bud was the first person they wanted to see,” Miller said.

Fassel died Tuesday afternoon after his car rolled over, ejecting him along Amboy Street as he was driving back from a funeral in Las Vegas. Fassel’s car flipped over after rounding a curve, according to the San Bernardino County coroner’s office.

A service is scheduled Saturday at 10 a.m. at the First Christian Church of Anaheim, 520 W. South St.

Fassel is survived by his wife Dorothy of Anaheim, and three children: Jim, 43, of New Jersey; and Linda, 46, and Debbie, 38, both of Arizona.