Edward Lyle Palmer

1925 - 2018

Edward Lyle Palmer
2/23/1925 - 6/17/2018
Resident of Walnut Creek
Edward Lyle "Coach" Palmer died peacefully in Walnut Creek on June 17, at age 93. Lyle was born in Oakland in 1925, the son of Fay and William Palmer and brother of Bill and Dorothy. He attended Acalanes High School and trained as a pilot in the US Navy Air Corps during WWII. He attended UC Berkeley, where he played baseball in the first College World Series, in 1947 (and helped the Bears defeat Yale and their first baseman, George H. W. Bush). After graduating in 1948, Lyle played baseball for the Oakland Oaks of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, as well as for several other semi-pro leagues and teams—the Bremerton Bluejackets, the Spokane Indians, the Albuquerque Dukes, and the Wenatchee Chiefs—batting .332 over six seasons.
In 1954 Lyle joined the staff of the newly opened Pleasant Hill High School, where he taught various subjects (driver's ed, aviation, P.E., geography) and coached baseball (as well as other sports) for the entire life of the school. When PHHS closed in 1980, Lyle taught at Ygnacio Valley High School, until he retired in 1982. Lyle played Sunday baseball for the Cal-Vets and Oakland Old Timers in Yountville for many years, enjoyed traveling with his wife, Gwen (who passed away in 2007), and played golf until he was 85—only quitting because he couldn't meet his own high standard of play.
He was an easy-going, hard-working man who leaves three children, Curtis Palmer (Karen), Kristin Palmer Connors (Bill), and Nancy Palmer, as well as a granddaughter, Jordan Capozzi Palmer, his great friend and caregiver, Ruth Hayes, and wonderful friends from his Pleasant Hill neighborhood and beyond. His family would like to thank his caregivers at An Oak Grove Manor for all their loving attention.
There will be a memorial service for Lyle on July 19, at 11 AM, at Hillcrest Congregational Church in Pleasant Hill, with a reception to follow. Remembrances may be made to a charity of your choice. Go Rams!


View the online memorial for Edward Lyle Palmer