Lambert E. 'Bud' Coakley, 90; Coach, Educator, Chaplain

Lambert E. “Bud” Coakley, 90, of Oxford, Florida, formerly of Edgewood and Havre de Grace, passed away on Friday, July 10, 2015. Born July 20, 1924, he was the son of the late S. Carle and Julia Coakley.

Bud grew up in Havre de Grace, where he was a star athlete at Havre de Grace High School and Calvert Hall Prep School in Towson. After serving in the United States Army for three years, he received his B.A. degree in Education from Washington College, where he was also a standout athlete, earning him a place in the Washington College Hall of Fame. He spent his summers during college as a pitcher in the semi-pro Susquehanna Baseball League and was later inducted into the Harford-Cecil Baseball Hall of Fame. Bud went on to earn a BS degree in Physical Education from University of Maryland and a Master’s Degree in Education from Towson State University.

Bud’s love of teaching, coaching and mentoring young people started at Crisfield High School in 1949 and carried him to Havre de Grace and Edgewood High Schools, where he became a pillar of the Edgewood Community.

In addition to teaching, he coached baseball, basketball, football and served as Edgewood’s Athletic Director. During the summers, he was manager of the Edgewood Swim Club and for many years was an official for the Northeastern Maryland Officials Association. Upon his retirement from Harford County Public Schools in 1984, he went on to work at Aberdeen Proving Ground as the military athletic director for several years. An avid golfer, he enjoyed working part-time at Swan Creek Country Club, Beechtree, Bulle Rock and Ruggles Golf Courses over the next 15 years. He was a member of the Harford County Public School Educator Hall of Fame, Maryland State Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, Maryland Scholastic Football Coaches Hall of Fame and the Edgewood High School Hall of Fame. He was a member of the American Legion and the Elks Lodge in Havre de Grace, where he served as chaplain.

Coach Coakley will be remembered for many things including his wild pants, legendary half-time talks, sense of humor and love of sports; but nothing can compare to the impact he had in the lives of all of us who had the great fortune of learning from him. He loved what he did and was once quoted as saying, “While I didn’t become a millionaire, I had a great life.”

He is survived by his wife, Arleen of The Villages, Fla.; sister, Margaret Medairy of Timonium; son Michael Coakley and wife Maria of Chestertown; daughters Karen Evans and husband Marty of North Palm Beach, Fla.; Kim Coakley of Havre de Grace; Shelly Vines and husband John of Conowingo; and Lisa Nelson of Perryville; grandchildren Jamie Henderson, Ryan Coakley, Katie Reeves, Kelly Evans, Alex and Shaun Vines, and Jennifer Nelson; and one great-granddaughter.

Visitation will be from 2–4 and 6–8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21, at McComas Funeral Home, 1317 Cokesbury Road, Abingdon.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 615 Congress Avenue, Havre de Grace.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the EHS Alumni Scholarship, 3215 Philadelphia Road, Abingdon, MD 21009 (checks payable to EHS Alumni Association) or Cornerstone Hospice House, 601 Casa Bella, The Villages, FL 32162.