MUCH LARGER SCALE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED IF ANYTHING ELSE HAPPENS TODAY. WE COUNTY TODAY REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF A HOMETOWN MAJOR BASEBALL LEGEND MIKE GREENWELL WAS A BUSINESSMAN AND COMMISSIONER WHO DIED THIS MONTH AT THE AGE OF 62 FOR MEN TO LARRY THYROID CANCER. >> LOCALS NEWS CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT DAVE ELIAS WAS THERE FOR THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE TODAY AT JETBLUE PARK. >> WELL, BEHIND ME, A SEA OF RED, WHITE AND NAVY BLUE, THE COLORS OF THE BOSTON RED SOX WHERE MIKE GREENWELL SPENT 12 YEARS AS A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER BEFORE RETURNING HOME TO LEE COUNTY WHERE TODAY HE’S REMEMBERED AS A HOMETOWN HERO. HE WENT NORTH HIGH SCHOOL AND I. >> GREW MY SISTER’S FRIENDS FROM NORTH FORT MYERS, RECALL THE BOY WHO WANTED TO BECOME A BASEBALL PLAYER CAN BE BAD MISSION. COULD. HE DID HELP OUT A LOT AND THEY FRIENDS AND FANS FILING INTO THE STADIUM. I’M FROM MASSACHUSETTS ORIGINALLY. SO IT’S A BIG RED SOX FAN INSIDE HIS SIGNATURE NUMBER. 39 STANDS PROMINENTLY ON HOME PLATE THIS YEAR. BACK IN 1988, WAS SOMETHING WAS VERY MEMORABLE FOR ME. HIS WIFE, TRACY AND FAMILY ARE IN ATTENDANCE. I INTRODUCED HIM TO TRACY, HIS BACK RIGHT BEFORE HIGH SCHOOL START. I THINK THE HONOR GUARD AND THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. ALONG WITH THE FLYOVER FROM THE LCSO AVIATION UNIT. ALL PART OF THE CEREMONY. YOU KNOW, MIKE WAS A PERSON WHO LEFT THE COMMUNITY BETTER THAN HE FOUNDED. LEE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CALLING GREEN DEATH A GREAT LOSS. WE TEAMMATES AGAIN LATER ON ON THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS. THE SUPPORT OF THIS DISEASE TALKING FROM US WILL MISS HIM GREATLY. TOM CREAN WELL REMEMBERED FOR HIS DOWN TO EARTH PERSONALITY. I MET HIM IN THE 90’S AND THAT A NEW TOOL FROM ARE HELPING OUT FISHING TOGETHER. NOTHING WHILE FOR A GUY THAT WAS SO FAMOUS. >> HE WAS SO HUMBLE TO HAVE A BEER WITH NOW IT WILL BE UP TO THE GOVERNOR TO FILL GREENWELL SEAT. SOMETHING STATE REPRESENTATIVE JANET PERSONS-MULICKA SAYS WILL BE DIFFICULT TO DO JAG ANNEX SHOES. I MEAN, MIKE GREENE WAS NOT ONLY A BOSTON RED SOX HALL OF FAMER. >> HE’S A LEE COUNTY HALL OF FAMER. NOW, EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED TODAY WAS GIVEN A MIKE GREENWELL BASEBALL CARD WITH HIS LIFE STATS ON THE BACK. REMEMBERING HIM AS A COOK, A FATHER AND A GRANDFATHE
Lee County honors hometown hero and baseball great Mike Greenwell
Lee County residents gathered at Jet Blue Park to celebrate the life of Mike Greenwell, a former Major League Baseball player and local commissioner, who passed away at 62 from medullary thyroid cancer
Updated: 6:21 PM EDT Oct 18, 2025
Lee County residents gathered at Jet Blue Park Saturday to celebrate the life of Mike Greenwell, a former Major League Baseball player and local commissioner, who passed away at 62 from medullary thyroid cancer. Behind a sea of red, white, and navy blue—the colors of the Boston Red Sox — Greenwell was remembered as a hometown hero.Jamie Roberts, a friend from North Fort Myers, recalled Greenwell’s early aspirations. “He went to North High School and growed up with me sisters,” Roberts said. “It’s going to be sad missing him because he did help out a lot in this town.”Friends and fans filled the stadium, including Don Scott, originally from Massachusetts, who shared his memories as a Red Sox fan. “I’m from Massachusetts originally so I was a big Red Sox fan,” Scott said. “His best year back in 1988 was something that was very memorable for me.” Greenwell played left field from 1985 to 1996.Greenwell’s wife, Tracy, and family attended the ceremony, with Shannon McIntosh-Spell reminiscing about introducing them. “I introduced him to Tracy, his wife, right before high school started,” McIntosh-Spell said.The ceremony included an honor guard, the national anthem, and a flyover by the LCSO aviation unit. Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman praised Greenwell’s impact on the community. “Mike was a person who left the community better than he found it,” Hamman said.Lee County commissioners called Greenwell’s death a great loss. Cecil Pendergrass, a longtime friend and colleague, expressed his sorrow. “We were teammates again later on the board of commissioners. It’s unfortunate this disease took him from us. We’ll miss him greatly, though,” Pendergrass said.Greenwell was remembered for his down-to-earth personality. David Mulicka, another Lee Commissioner, shared his personal experience with Greenwell. “I met him in the 90s and we all went out fishing together, and I’m thinking wow, for a guy that was so famous, he was still humble or have a beer with,” Mulicka said.Now it will be up to the governor to fill Greenwell’s seat, something State Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka said will be difficult to do. “Gigantic shoes. Mike Greenwell is not only a Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer, he’s a Lee County Hall of Famer,” she said.Everyone who attended the ceremony was given a Mike Greenwell baseball card with his life stats on the back, remembering him as a cook, a father, and a grandfather.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
FORT MYERS, Fla. —
Lee County residents gathered at Jet Blue Park Saturday to celebrate the life of Mike Greenwell, a former Major League Baseball player and local commissioner, who passed away at 62 from medullary thyroid cancer. Behind a sea of red, white, and navy blue—the colors of the Boston Red Sox — Greenwell was remembered as a hometown hero.
Jamie Roberts, a friend from North Fort Myers, recalled Greenwell’s early aspirations. “He went to North High School and growed up with me sisters,” Roberts said. “It’s going to be sad missing him because he did help out a lot in this town.”
Friends and fans filled the stadium, including Don Scott, originally from Massachusetts, who shared his memories as a Red Sox fan. “I’m from Massachusetts originally so I was a big Red Sox fan,” Scott said. “His best year back in 1988 was something that was very memorable for me.” Greenwell played left field from 1985 to 1996.
Greenwell’s wife, Tracy, and family attended the ceremony, with Shannon McIntosh-Spell reminiscing about introducing them. “I introduced him to Tracy, his wife, right before high school started,” McIntosh-Spell said.
The ceremony included an honor guard, the national anthem, and a flyover by the LCSO aviation unit. Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman praised Greenwell’s impact on the community. “Mike was a person who left the community better than he found it,” Hamman said.
Lee County commissioners called Greenwell’s death a great loss. Cecil Pendergrass, a longtime friend and colleague, expressed his sorrow. “We were teammates again later on the board of commissioners. It’s unfortunate this disease took him from us. We’ll miss him greatly, though,” Pendergrass said.
Greenwell was remembered for his down-to-earth personality. David Mulicka, another Lee Commissioner, shared his personal experience with Greenwell. “I met him in the 90s and we all went out fishing together, and I’m thinking wow, for a guy that was so famous, he was still humble or have a beer with,” Mulicka said.
Now it will be up to the governor to fill Greenwell’s seat, something State Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka said will be difficult to do. “Gigantic shoes. Mike Greenwell is not only a Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer, he’s a Lee County Hall of Famer,” she said.
Everyone who attended the ceremony was given a Mike Greenwell baseball card with his life stats on the back, remembering him as a cook, a father, and a grandfather.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.