New bocce ball court dedicated in memory of beloved former resident

Residents, co-workers and neighbors of Ecumenical Retirement Community can enjoy a fun new amenity in honor of a favorite resident.

Long-time Ecumenical resident, the late Clem Fure, loved to play bocce ball. So when the campus added a bocce ball court, they chose to honor Fure’s memory by naming it after him.

The family of former Ecumenical resident, Clem Fure, gathers on the new bocce ball court dedicated in his honor.

“My father played bocce for over 30 years in the Hershey Italian Lodge Bocce League and won the state championship in the Pennsylvania Senior Olympics,” shares Fure’s son, Mike.” Every picnic, party or family reunion, a bocce game would break out. It was always competitive, but fun.”

Bocce ball is a traditional Italian bowling game typically played on a rectangular court, though it can be played on various surfaces such as grass, sand or even indoor spaces. The primary object of the game is to score points by tossing bocce balls closer to a smaller target ball, called the pallino, than the opposing team.

The new court, located by the campus pavilion, is a regulation bocce ball court complete with a permanent scoring board. The playing surface is made of a level, firm and compacted material framed by well-defined boundaries.

“Bocce is a great game because anybody can play…children, older people, people in wheelchairs. It’s a fun game and [Ecumenical] is a great place to have a court,” says Fure’s daughter, Doreen Fure-Fahringer.

Fure family members and friends play a game of bocce ball on Ecumenical’s new court dedicated in honor of former resident Clem Fure.

The court was dedicated during a small service earlier this month. Fure’s large, close-knit family, including his children, six brothers and sisters, nephews, nieces and friends, attended to share memories and laughter while remembering this popular former resident and honoring one of his favorite hobbies.

Mike Fure recalls, “I visited Ecumenical one time and heard someone yell ‘Shoot green!’ When I turned the corner it was my father refereeing a bocce game in the middle of the activity room.”

“He loved to be around people,” recalls Fure-Fahringer, adding, “He talked to people about anything, so coming here to live with all these people was a good thing. He was involved in everything and enjoyed being around people during group activities and meals. He really enjoyed the campus.”

Mike Fure says that many residents and co-workers still tell his family members just how much his father is missed. “He had many wonderful, caring friends at Ecumenical. Our entire family came to campus for a dedication, and we could not think of a single thing more appropriate than a bocce court to remember my father. He would have absolutely loved it!”