Bridgeport Mourns Loss Of Beloved Little League Coach, 21

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Bridgeport resident Steven Diaz, Jr., 21, died earlier this month, and a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to benefit North End Little League Baseball where he coached.

Diaz died of cancer, but fought it with tenacity, and is remembered as a "brave, calm, loving and, strong individual," wrote Zachary Mitkowski, who launched the GoFundMe campaign.

Funeral services were held for Diaz on May 11, according to his obituary, and his father told News 12 Connecticut that all through his battle with cancer, Steven never complained.

"As we all try to navigate through the immense amount of grief of not only loosing our dear friend, but a brother, a son, a teammate, and a fiancé, we want to honor his memory and continue his legacy of compassion, kindness and bravery," Mitkowski wrote. "This Gofundme page has been set up to fund The North End Little League Baseball teams future tournaments and fund the team, planning to travel to Maryland and/or Virginia in the summer. This is something Steve would have wanted us to do. Steve was a big baseball fan and adored the sport alongside his dad, ever since he was a kid. Steven and his father played a part in the training of several players 3 years ago. We would like to continue his legacy through his favorite sport, and his obsession with cars."

As of Monday, the campaign had raised more than $7,500 toward a goal of $25,000.

To view the GoFundMe campaign for Steven Diaz, Jr., click here.