John DeMarco, 'Coach D' to generations of students at Regina High, would 'give you advice on anything'

The first casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic in Johnson County was longtime Regina High School P.E. teacher and football coach John DeMarco

DeMarco, who taught at the Iowa City Catholic school for nearly 40 years, died April 4 at age 73 after being hospitalized for COVID-19.

Often referred to fondly as "Coach D," DeMarco began working at the school in 1981. In that time, his positive attitude and personable manner left an impression on hundreds who passed through the school over the decades.

"He was always there to give you advice on anything," said Glenn Plummer, Regina's principal. "Whether it was what you're eating, how you're exercising, politics, what the weather's going to be like, he had an opinion on everything and he wasn't afraid to let you know it."

DeMarco's willingness to offer help is part of the reason Plummer himself is at Regina. Before being employed at the school, Plummer did not know DeMarco, but his roommate worked at a restaurant DeMarco and his wife, Diane, frequented. 

During one of the DeMarcos' Sunday brunch visits, it got out that Plummer was seeking a teaching position. By coincidence, Regina was also looking for a math teacher. Information traded hands and, nearly 20 years later, Plummer is still teaching at the school.

Plummer is still in awe of how DeMarco was able to assign nicknames to nearly every teacher and student and remember them, even over all those years.

"He didn't have favorites," Plummer said. "He treated everyone like his favorite."

DeMarco's good humor was not lost on his students either. Following DeMarco's passing, social media lit up with former students remembering their time with the coach. Among the many was Ed Wallace.

"He's definitely the kind of coach that players wanted to play for... and quite frankly would run through a brick wall for," said Wallace, a 1995 Regina graduate and captain for DeMarco's 1994 football team. "So, as a community, we're very, very sad at his passing. But he's going to be remembered and remembered well."

Wallace still recalls the "impassioned half-time pleas" and "pregame speeches" DeMarco gave his players and the ardent way he would lead the school during pep rallies.

"We looked up to him as a father figure," Wallace said. "He was the kind of person that was very self-aware of others, especially those with disabilities and those that may not have had a chance to be an athlete. So I think that's why the loss is so significant across the community."

Marlene Frantz — an office associate at the school for the past 51 years — knew he would be a great fit when she first met DeMarco.

"He just seemed genuinely interested in what people were doing and what was going on in their lives," said Frantz of meeting DeMarco in 1981. "With that kind of approach, you could just tell that he really cared about other people."

Students, teachers and community members were working out how best to say goodbye to DeMarco, given state guidelines limiting the number of in-person funeral attendees to 10, a number that includes funeral directors and clergy.

According to Suzanne Gebel, executive director of the Iowa Funeral Directors Association, funeral homes across the state have held services in unconventional ways to comply with this stipulation, including attending at a distance in cars or sending "tribute balloons."

"It's strange," said Plummer, "you can't grieve like you normally grieve. ... People are reliving memories and enjoying the great memories that they have with coach."

Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Press-Citizen. Reach him at ihamlet@press-citizen.com or (319)-688-4247, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet