It is with sadness and a heavy heart that that Julio O. Hellburg passed away on April 1, 2017. 

Julio was a friend, trusted colleague, and leader for over 50 years in the sport of softball. 

Julio was a dedicated and accomplished individual that brought unmatch zest and life to the game we all love. His career as a player and umpire spanned more than 50 years. He was extremely passionate about the rules of our game and served on our Rules Commission for over two decades. He worked World and Regional Championships, served as a clinician at umpire clinics around the world, and took great pride in serving as a Regional Umpire in Chief and Umpire Coordinator at World Championships.

Mr. Hellburg umpired in over 12,000 softball games in over 20 countries including the 1990 Women's World Championships in Normal, Illinois. 

Julio was also an accomplished administrator and served as the Secretary- General of the Netherlands Antilles Softball Federation now known as the Curacao Softball Federation. 

Julio was inducted into the ISF/WBSC Hall of Fame in 2001 for his extraordinary service to the game of softball.

Julio was extremely passionate in his support of softball in Latin America and was always exploring opportunities to recruit additional players and umpires to the sport of softball.

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