GRIEF RADIATES THROUGH REGION.

Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez and Naush Boghossian Staff Writers

SIMI VALLEY - A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, a telecommunications manager and a Los Angeles City Fire Department clerk, all from eastern Ventura County, were among those killed in Wednesday's Metrolink collision in Glendale.

Friends and colleagues of Deputy James Tutino, a sheriff's deputy for 23 years and the father of four, remembered him as a man who gave his all as a law enforcement officer and as football coach at Simi Valley High School.

Sheriff Lee Baca said Tutino, 47, was in uniform and on his way to work in administration at the Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles when he died in the crash.

Baca visited Tutino's home in Simi Valley to comfort his family.

``This is a family with a lot of commitment to law enforcement,'' said Baca, noting that Tutino's brother was a sheriff's deputy in Ventura County.

Also killed in the crash was Scott McKeown, 42, a telecommunications manager for the city of Pasadena who lived in Moorpark with his wife, Susan, and two daughters, ages 8 and 5.

``We lost a great man and a great father of two young children. He will be missed by all of his friends and family,'' said McKeown's brother- in-law, David Doan.

McKeown previously - from 1998 to 2003 - worked for Glendale's city Information Services Department.

``He was a train enthusiast. ... That was his hobby,'' Glendale city spokesman Ritch Wells said. ``Everybody liked him. He was well-liked by people he worked with.''

Neighbors said McKeown awoke at 4:30 every workday to take the train to his job, and he also liked to take his children on train trips. ``He instilled the love of trains in his children,'' said neighbor Dan Phipps.

``They are a wonderful family. Everybody in the street loves them,'' said Phipps' wife,.

Dan Phipps said he and McKeown liked to work together on model trains. McKeown was a member of a Glendale model railroad club for more than 20 years and collected train whistles.

Also identified as a victim of the derailment was Julia Bennett, 44, of Simi Valley, who was a senior clerk typist with the Los Angeles City Fire Department for nearly 20 years.

A second Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department employee who died on the train was identified as Manuel Alcala, 51, a senior maintenance worker with 13 years of experience. His city of residence was not immediately released.

Elizabeth ``Liz'' Hill, an accounting services specialist with the city of Glendale, also was identified. Hill, who had worked for the city since 1979, had planned to retire later this year.

Six other victims of the wreck, including the male conductor, were not identified by late Wednesday.

When Tutino's covered remains were draped with a U.S. flag and carried from the wreckage Wednesday, scores of first-responders spontaneously stood at attention and saluted as the body went past them.

Baca stood nearby, with his head down, and later said he was angry about the crash that killed Tutino and the others.

Tutino occasionally rode the train to work. He decided to do so Wednesday because he was having trouble with a knee and didn't feel like driving.

Sheriff's Sgt. Roger Ross, Tutino's supervisor for 12 years, called his death a tremendous loss.

``He was my rock. Everyone looked up to him,'' said Ross. ``He was a friend, someone I could turn to in thick and thin.''

Tutino also loved riding horses and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and he was a devoted coach at Simi Valley High School.

``He was a person who gave of himself - whatever needed to be done, When you lose a person like that, it hurts everyone,'' said Karl Ziehut, head coach of the Simi Valley High School Pioneers football team.

Ziehut spoke to about 70 football players who were called together after school Wednesday, along with the school principal, the counseling staff, and a group of psychologists.

``We wanted to let the students know that we were there for them,'' said Ziehut. ``We were all grieving. It was important that these kids felt they weren't alone.''

In Pasadena, a spokeswoman for city government, Ann Erdman, said McKeown had quickly become very well liked in the year since he joined the city work force.

``He made a big impact on a lot of city employees because of the kind of person he was. He was a true human being,'' Pasadena spokeswoman Erdman said.

``He had a big heart. He had a lively spirit. He developed deep friendships with a lot of people here. He will be greatly missed.''

Daily News Staff Writer Eric Leach and the Associated Press contributed to this story.

Angie Valencia-Martinez, [phone]

angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, right, and others watch over the covered body of Deputy James Tutino at the Glendale crash scene.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

(2) Friends and family comfort each other Wednesday outside the Simi Valley home of James Tutino, the Los Angeles sheriff's deputy killed in the Glendale train crash.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

(3) TUTINO

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CASUALTIES TAKEN TO LOCAL HOSPITALS