Fullerton To Honor Tommy And Jo Lasorda Wednesday

FULLERTON (CBSLA) – The city of Fullerton will honor Dodgers great Tommy Lasorda on Wednesday and pay tribute to his wife, Jo Lasorda, who passed away Monday at the age of 91.

The city where the couple resided for seven decades had previously announced that Wednesday would be declared Tommy Lasorda Day, on what would have been the Dodger manager's 94th birthday.

Tommy Lasorda passed away in January at the age of 93 after suffering a heart attack. His wife, Jo, died on Monday night at the couple's longtime Fullerton home.

The couple lived in Fullerton for 68 years.

Fullerton had already planned a daylong string of events, including signing a sister city covenant with Tollo, Italy, where Lasorda's family is from.

During a news conference Wednesday morning announcing Tommy Lasorda Day, the city is planning to add a moment of silence for Mrs. Lasorda. It follows a Tuesday night tribute by the Fullerton City Council, which closed its regular meeting with another moment of silence for Mrs. Lasorda.

"We're very saddened by the news" of Mrs. Lasorda's death, city spokeswoman Anissa Livas said Tuesday.

Tommy and Jo Lasorda met in Greenville, South Carolina, at a Greenville Spinners minor league baseball game, where he was a pitcher. The two were married on April 14, 1950. They were married for 70 years.

Tommy Lasorda, one of the most iconic figures in baseball history, managed the Dodgers for 21 seasons from 1976 to 1996. He won two World Series titles in 1981 and 1988.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)