The Law family coping with the loss of a husband and father
Gilroy – “Where’s Daddy?”
Since June 4, Lisa Law has heard that question all too often out of her 4-year-old twins, Darius and Donovan.
It was that Sunday that their father and Lisa’s husband Travis, a 39-year-old former minor league baseball player, died after going into anaphylactic shock during a salmon fishing trip near Moss Landing.
The answer to the question is hard for the twins and their 7-year-old brother Dayton to understand. Heaven? How could their Daddy – a happy, kind and gentle, yet strong and physically powerful man – no longer be with them?
“I’ve always been an individual,” says Lisa, fighting back tears when she thinks about that day. “When somebody explained to me that when you lose a spouse, you lose half of yourself…if someone had told me that six months ago, I would have said, ‘You’re crazy.’ But you do lose half of yourself.”
Unfortunately, Travis’ unexpected death is also causing the Laws to lose their Gilroy home, which Lisa and Travis bought two and a half years ago.
“This was our dream house,” says Lisa, as she sits at the dining room table in the white walled and carpeted living room that has been all but emptied of its furniture in preparation for a move. “We loved it here (in Gilroy). This was it for us for a long time.”
“I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
To help defray the financial burden left on Lisa, her co-worker and Intero realtor Bobby Reichert has set up a “Place Packer” game between the San Jose Giants and the Bakersfield Blaze to be held in memory of Travis and to raise some much-needed money for the family. The game takes place August 4.
Reichert, a former baseball player himself, first met Travis when the two played baseball opposite of each other in high school in San Jose. Reichert was a sophomore playing for Independence High when Travis was the star senior shortstop for Andrew Hill High. Later on, the two reconnected when Reichert sold the Laws their Gilroy home.
The Reluctant Celebrity
In the Law’s living room, a large poster board tacked with letters from Major League Baseball clubs, old statistics, newspaper clippings and certificates bear the proof of Travis’ successful baseball career.
Travis emerged as a star at Andrew Hill in the mid-80’s where he garnered much attention for his exceptional speed and power. During his senior year, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Law hit .409 and was a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen bases. Lisa says he attracted a lot of attention from college coaches in both baseball and football, but opted for baseball and started his career at San Jose City College.
It was there that Law thrived and transitioned to the outfield under coach Barry Woodhead. Soon, Law was holding the interest of the nation’s top Division I schools, including Miami and Oklahoma State. After a deal with Miami fell through, Law signed with Oklahoma State. Shortly after, so did fellow San Jose City College outfielder Ira White.
Law and White became friends during their time at City College and after Law signed with the Cowboys, White knew he wanted to pay for the Big XII team too.
“He tried to get you to be confident in yourself,” White recalls. “He was top-notch in everything he did and the way he treated people and the way his confidence just melted over to yours. That was just the way he was.”
Law and White played one year together and were roommates at Oklahoma State in 1987. That year, the Cowboys were ranked No. 1 in the country for several weeks of the season and finished with a 63-10 record after losing to Wichita State in the NCAA regionals. The squad, which included future MLB star Robin Ventura, was nearly half-full with players who eventually reached the pro ranks at some level.
Law was a popular player on the team, but was always humble about his abilities. White remembers when Law hit a home run in a game against Arkansas. Instead of reveling in the moment, Law hurried back to the dugout to avoid the television cameras. White, who was a bench player, quickly headed the other way.
“(Travis) wanted to hide from the camera. Of course, I was first one out of dugout to congratulate him so I could be on camera,” White says, laughing. “He was a reluctant star. He never wanted to outshine anybody. He just wanted to beat you.”
And he did that particularly well in the basepaths. Both Lisa and White noted the marvelous moves Travis would make to successfully steal bases from right underneath infielders’ noses.
White likes to tell the story of one play where an opposing pitcher had the ball and Travis, who was on first, caught the second baseman and shortstop sleeping.
“All it took was three seconds and he was on second base. It was magic,” White said. “He was the quickest, had the best hops and closing speed to ball. And he could out-hit you.”
Travis’ stay at Oklahoma State was short-lived. In 1988, the Texas Rangers drafted the center fielder in the eighth round. He was assigned to the Port Charlotte (Fla.) Rangers, where he played alongside Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez in 1990.
Shortly after he signed with the Rangers, he met Lisa.
The Family Man
Lisa and Travis first met in a noisy spot, so when Travis told her he was a Texas Ranger, she took it the wrong way.
“I dated him for two weeks thinking he was a cop,” she said.
Lisa immediately liked the star athlete, mostly because he didn’t act like one.
“He was very humble, kind-hearted, no machismo,” Lisa said.
The two dated for nine years and were married for nine years. Together, they raised Dayton, Darius and Donovan. Travis also had a son from a previous relationship, Matthew Tartt.
For as much as he loved baseball, Travis loved his family more. He ultimately chose not to continue his pro baseball career to stay at home with Matthew.
But the game still remained a part of his life. He was just starting to pass on his knowledge of baseball to his young sons. And certain other baseball traditions.
“He would give me sunflower seeds,” says 7-year-old Dayton. Lisa remembers one Little League game where Dayton was running from first to second base, more concerned about the sunflower seeds in his back pocket than getting to the base. Travis laughed in fits on the sidelines.
Then there was the friendly competition between the father and sons which manifested itself in wrestling matches and playing video games.
“I would never let him win, but sometimes I did,” Dayton says. “And when I did a special move, he’d say ‘Hey, you cheated!'”
When talking about the memories of Daddy, the mood is light and the boys are laughing. But it’s not always like that.
“The kids are very confused…and Dayton, he’s a different kid right now,” she says. “He won’t talk about Daddy and won’t look at pictures of Daddy.”
Lisa has been grateful for the outpouring of support she’s received from Luigi Aprea, where the boys attend school, her neighbors and co-workers. They have helped her delve into a future that has been uncertain without Travis in it.
Then again, that’s the same spirit Travis was known for.
“He was giver, not a taker,” teammate White says. “I don’t know many people like that.”
