Everyone has a story for Kevin "Kaya" Maschino from the volleyball court, but one adjective serves as a common bridge between tales: Caring.

Over the past three years, Maschino worked as a referee for the summer and winter Seymour Parks and Recreation Department volleyball leagues.

The 1975 Seymour High School graduate and St. Ambrose Catholic School alumnus recently passed away at the age of 62, but his presence will still be felt at future matches.

The parks department recently approved the creation of a plaque for Maschino, which will be put on one of the referee stands at Gaiser Park in the future.

Whitney Thoele, Maschino’s cousin who has participated in the league for years, asked Parks and Recreation Director Bob Tabeling if it would be possible to create something in his honor.

A motion was approved and passed earlier this month at a board meeting.

"I thought it would be a nice sentiment for something that meant so much to him as well as others," Thoele said. "He had a huge, huge heart. He always helped a person that needed it. He always did the right thing and helped others."

Maschino served in the U.S. Navy and was a nuclear technician on the USS Enterprise. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and loved to watch sports and play trivia.

After retiring, Maschino lived in Arizona near relatives before moving back to Seymour around 2005 to get closer to his niece and nephew. 

Thoele said Maschino was having health issues about five years ago, and he wasn’t working. She said he wanted to get involved in something, and he soon found a passion for refereeing volleyball.

Maschino had intramural volleyball experience, playing at Franklin College, Purdue University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Thoele said.

Hannah Allman of Seymour has participated in the leagues for the past four years.

"(Maschino) loved reffing us girls," Allman said. "He was always talking about how he was looking forward to Tuesday and Wednesday nights because he could come and give us a hard time. He just enjoyed being around all of us."

Lacey Hirtzel, who has been in the leagues for eight years, echoed Allman.

"He was a very lively and bubbly person," Hirtzel said. "He wasn’t just a ref to all of us. He was more like a friend to all of us."

After his passing, Thoele said she had a lot of people reach out to her to offer condolences. 

"I was floored by the number of girls who reached out to me after he passed," she said. "I would always tell them (the love) was mutual. He was at my house a lot. He had all kinds of stories he would share about volleyball."

Hirtzel said the recognition will mean a lot to many of the players.

"It’s going to bring me joy, and I think it will for a lot of other people, as well," she said.