The greatest legacy of teachers, school counselors and sports coaches are the young lives they shape and guide toward gainful productive lives. Brian McCreadie Sr. — known to several generations of young baseball players as “Coach McCreadie” — was one of them. In 45 years coaching baseball teams in Hawaii and on the mainland, he helped hundreds of boys develop their game skills while also preparing them for the life challenges they faced.

McCreadie died Dec. 9 in Irvine, Calif., of the long-term effects of exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam. He was 75.

Bridgette McCreadie Ardo remembered her father as “a baseball man” who was “always giving.”

“He was unselfish,” she said. “Always giving. Always helping the youth. Mentoring the youth was his passion.”

Pamela Mccreadie, McCreadie’s wife of 56 years, said her husband always wanted his players to see the future “as a future of possibilities for them.”

“He wanted them to look forward to college, and always keep the dream of one day going to the pros if they wanted that.”

One way McCreadie helped young players in Hawaii visualize their future possibilities was taking them to play on the mainland or in the Philippines.

“I think he kind of started that,” Pamela McCreadie said. “He wanted to give them a chance to showcase their talent, and to learn, because when they traveled, they made a lot of friendships and they exchanged gifts. They played all over. He took them all over to give these kids a chance (to learn).”

Among the kids McCreadie coached were his sons, Brian Jr. and Brant. In 1989 Brant McCreadie graduated from Kaiser High School and was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers; an injury cut short his promising career in major league baseball.

Brian Anthony McCreadie was born in Honolulu. He spent his early years in Kaimuki and then moved to Kailua and graduated from Kailua High School. After high school he volunteered for service in the United States Air Force. He received training as a K-9 dog handler and security specialist. McCreadie was deployed to Vietnam in 1969; he learned later that he had been exposed to Agent Orange while he was there.

Following his Vietnam service, McCreadie returned to Hawaii and joined the Hawaiian Armed Service Police and the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry, Army Reserve Unit. He also worked as a high-security corrections officer at the Halawa Correctional Facility.

In 2011 he retired and moved to California. He continued his coaching career there for several years.

When McCreadie wasn’t working or coaching, he followed big league sports as a loyal fan of the San Francisco 49ers, the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers. His favorite baseball player was Shohei “Shotime” Ohtani.

“He was a baseball man. He loved baseball,” Pamela McCreadie. “He loved the strategy, and coaching the boys. He wanted so much for their future. He wanted to impact them and he did, he left a big impact on them. They all say that he was a hard-ass, but boy did they learn!”

McCreadie is also survived by his siblings, Paul Lewis, Arline Harris, Sharlene Pavao and John Pagan III, and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Funeral visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 148 Makawao St. in Kailua, with Mass at 11 a.m. followed by burial at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery, 45-349 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe.