That was the case Jan. 21 after Greg Southwick passed away in a Cedar City hospital. 

He was 61. 

The longtime athletic director at Cottonwood High School had just retired from teaching this past summer and said he was looking forward to working on his Richfield farm and spending more time with his family. 

A career educator and coach, Southwick touched many lives along the way, passing along decades of wisdom and experience gleaned as a high school teacher and coach in several sports. 

That sort of knowledge was even passed on to current Cottonwood Athletic Director James MacIntyre, who said Southwick was always just a phone call away. 

“It definitely hit our community,” MacIntyre said. “Greg was great to me as I began at Cottonwood. Always ready and available at the opposite end of a phone call for any questions I had.” 

Former Cottonwood boys head soccer coach BryLee Harvest said that Southwick was a mentor and a true friend to him and to other coaches, as well. 

“He truly was one of kind, he dedicated a large part of his life to Cottonwood commuting from his residence in Richfield,” said Harvest, who now coaches at Taylorsville and led the Colts boys and girls to several state tournament appearances. “He embodied what it meant to be a Cottonwood Colt and inspired so many Cottonwood student-athletes like myself to coach after graduation and give back to their community. He will be dearly missed.” 

Harvest certainly was just one of several young coaches that Southwick helped develop and mentor; Cottonwood head basketball coach Tes Soracco was another. 

“It’s almost impossible to choose just one memory of Greg Southwick because he was woven into so many meaningful moments of our program and my life. What I will always remember most is how he showed up consistently, quietly and with so much care for me and for our girls,” Soracco said. “The players adored him. After practice, they would stop by his office for chocolate milk and simply sit and talk with him. He made them feel safe, valued and important. Greg was always there when we needed support, encouragement or belief, and he gave it freely.” 

As for Casey Miller, Cottonwood head football coach from 2019 to 2022, one game epitomized Southwick—not only as a school administrator but as a human being. 

“Greg was always down to earth and understanding of how difficult coaching can be. When we went down south to Richfield to play, they beat us pretty badly,” recounted Miller. “After the game we were loading the bus up and Greg pops on the bus with a big smile on his face carrying boxes of pizza and made sure all the kids got some pizza and tried to cheer them all up. It was an awesome thing to do for the kids after we had just got blown out and had a long ride ahead of us.” 

For Soracco, she also knows she wouldn’t be where she is without him. 

“Our girls basketball program is what it is today because of him, and his absence is deeply felt by all of us who were lucky enough to know him. I am the coach I am today because of his guidance, honesty and friendship,” Soracco said. “He will be missed.”