Louis J. Hutchinson II, tennis coach, psychotherapist, 79

Louis J. Hutchinson II was an ace on and off the tennis court. You would be hard-pressed to find a member of the tennis community who didn't know his name.

The Freeport resident trained hundreds of students of all ages, ethnicities, abilities, and disabilities across Long Island and New York City. He died on July 7 in a Washington, D.C., hospital from multiple myeloma and cardiac amyloidosis. He was 79.

"Throughout his entire life, he always believed that with hard work, perseverance, patience, and drive that all things were possible. None of that more so than at home and on the tennis court," said Hutchinson's son, the Rev. Louis J. Hutchinson III of Upper Marlboro, Maryland. "I gave him his last rites as a minister and prayed with him through the transition. I will never forget that moment."

Louis Johnny Hutchinson II was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on April 16, 1944. The oldest of 11 children, he and his family moved from Charleston to the Bronx when he was 8. From a young age, Hutchinson excelled academically and pursued his passion for baseball, later followed by a love of basketball.

Hutchinson met his future wife, Roberta, who lived across the street, when he was 16. They married in June of 1965 and raised three children.

In 1968, Hutchinson attended SUNY Old Westbury where he studied philosophy. He earned a master's degree in philosophy and social work from Fordham University in 1980 and shortly after received his license as a psychotherapist.

It was during his college years that Hutchinson was introduced to tennis. He and his family moved to Freeport in 1975 and Hutchinson began his career in counseling at the Lower East Side Counseling Center in Manhattan, one year before he became involved with the U.S. Tennis Association, which would become a part of him for the rest of his life.

"My father taught tennis since I was a youth up until this past summer at 78 years old. He taught as young as 4 up until students that were close to him in age," said his son. "His counseling background came out in all of his teaching relationships. He was very involved; it was a lot more than tennis to him."

In 1982, Hutchinson took a job in Glen Cove at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where he established and provided a variety of counseling and athletic programs. In 1990, he began providing individual and family counseling at the Alliance Counseling Center in Hempstead while also teaching tennis as a USTA instructor to those who could not afford lessons.

Corey Aronin of Oceanside met Hutchinson in 1992 and knew him as a teacher and eventually a friend. "He was a well-respected, wonderful human being who was also a very well-schooled tennis coach and competitor," said Aronin. "

Naseem Sadik of Malverne recalled helping Hutchinson run tennis camps and programs, and said his coach and friend "had the biggest smile but an even greater heart."

In his athletic career, Hutchinson II would go on to coach over 30 teams winning state and regional championships, and taking them as far as USTA National events around the country, his son said. Many of Hutchinson's players went on to be regionally and nationally ranked, play college tennis, and some played as professionals.

"Most important to Dad was that he was instilling confidence in others and making a difference in the lives of those he taught and those he coached," said his son.

In addition to his wife and son, Hutchinson is survived by his daughters, Shane't Hutchinson and the Rev. Kim Hutchinson, both of Bowie, Maryland; four grandchildren; and more than 100 nieces and nephews. Funeral services were held on July 22 at The Bridge Church in Malverne, followed by a private burial.