New London — What is the good life lived? What matters?

Is it celebrity? Money? Maybe for some. Not Bob Nenna. He lived a life of quiet celebration. And in the end, his legacy is the noblest of all: the little voice inside the head of New London, the little voice that pushes you toward all the right choices.

Bob Nenna, the man who coached a generation of New London kids in their formative years, died last week. He was 79. He was a 25-year firefighter and Korean War veteran. He was a husband, father, grandfather. And were that not enough, Bob Nenna is the voice so many New London kids heard through 20 years coaching youth football, long after his own children were grown.

He was tough on them because he knew toughness isn't merely a virtue, but a necessity in the 06320. Do your job. Respect your teammates. Honor your school and city. Rinse. Repeat.

Funny how it takes sorrowful times of death to remind us about the happiest moments of life. Nenna was a fixture on the sidelines of New London football games, sidelines that were about as colorful and magical as high school football is portrayed in lore and legend.

It was a privilege to have been there in the old days. The old days: Tommie Major was yelling "IT'S TIME TO HIT," among other evangelical football-isms. Gil Varjas would walk on to the field, find the orange "40" yard marker and kick it out of the way. Jim Buonocore would find the nearest official to yell at, even before the game started. And there was Nenna, calmer than Sunday morning, always with a good line and sunny disposition.

What I'll remember most about him: He always ended sentences with "for Christ's sake." Even when he wasn't angry. Like, "really nice weather today, for Christ's sake," or "who won the games last night, for Christ's sake" or "Good morning, for Christ's sake." It was musical. I always made sure to make Bob among by first greetings, just so I could get my dose of "for Christ's sake."

Bob loved his porch. He loved being home. And home loved him. Not just their house, but their city. Seriously: They are very hard markers in New London. But who ever – ever – had a bad word to say about Nenna? He's the embodiment of what New Londoners expect from all other New Londoners.

"Every Friday night during high school I was invited to coach Nenna's house with one of my best friends to have dinner," former New London football and baseball great Joe Bustamonte wrote after Bob's death. "It was the same routine for four years. We would have pizza and a regular grinder. He opened up his house to me but most of all he opened his knowledge of life and love for his athletes. Bob Nenna: my coach, my friend and a Whaler for life. Today I'm sad to see such a great man pass. ... I will always have our Friday night dinners and him saying 'come on Busta you got to eat up there's a big game tonight.' It's hard for me to see the great ones go. He had a hand in every one of us being what a New London Whaler truly is."

Bob Nenna made New London a better place. He taught many, many kids, now in their 30s, 40s and maybe 50s, how to make it a better place. His voice lives through them. And it's up to them now to do their old coach proud.

I say this with the utmost respect for a good man who lived the good life: Rest in peace, for Christ's sake. Let's raise a glass to the little voice inside the head of all things green and gold.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.