For the love of the game
By Andrew Ferrell
Every so often, there is a person that touches so many lives, that you don’t realize how special they are until they are gone. For the YMCA and Columbia City sports community, that person was Jeff Braunsdorf and on August 21, 2009, the YMCA and Columbia City sports community lost a longtime friend. 
Braunsdorf has been a youth sports coach for the Whitley County YMCA for many years. He has spent countless hours coaching kids the game of soccer and flag football, but most importantly, the game of life.
“He was a very dedicated father, husband, and friend,” YMCA sports director Steven Kuhn said about Braunsdorf.
Braunsdorf has been a soccer and flag football coach for the entire time Kuhn has held the position and when every season rolled around his name was a hot commodity as a youth coach.
“When parents put in their request for the coach they preferred, everyone requested him,” Kuhn added. “It’s because he made the game fun and put a smile on everyone’s face, including himself.”
Besides the coaching, Braunsdorf also was a member volunteer of the YMCA, where he would lead a small community group, making sure that new members felt welcomed. As part of a memorial, all participants in this year’s youth sports will have his initials on their shirt sleeves.
“He’ll be missed and our prayers go out to his family and friends,” Kuhn concluded.A celebration of life will be Sept. 15. For more details please visit Talk of the Town's memorial page or visit a special memorial page that has been set up for Jeff Braunsdorf by clicking here.