Richard Norman Engle

1945 - 2016

ORISKANY FALLS >> Richard Norman Engle, 70, of Oliver Road, passed away Sunday, May 8, 2016 at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Utica.
Richard "Dick" Engle has spent his entire life in the Madison area. Born in Oneida City Hospital July 22, 1945. He attended Madison Central grade, junior and high schools, graduating in 1963. On Sept. 11, 1964, Richard married Marilyn J. Hutchings in Oneida. He received his business and graphic design training at MVCC. He worked for Oneida Limited Silversmiths (OS) for 35 years in Design, creating silverware designs and other OS items. Always the avid sportsman he played baseball and basketball and found his niche in basketball, serving as a strong team player, coach and referee throughout his years of service. Coach Engle was a Junior (JV) Player at Madison Central School (MCS) on a boys basketball team that was undefeated (1960-61). In 1963 he was a player on the Varsity team that won a class C sectional at a time when there was no regional or state tournament. Led by coach Jack Tenhope the Madison Blue Devils varsity team defeated the Earlville High School team, a top team in the region that had won titles the year before (1962) and who had been referred to by Hall-of-Famer Dolph Shayes as "the best team in the high school circuit."
He started coaching in 1980s at MCS, serving five years as a JV coach and then as a varsity coach for 12 years, serving for 17 years at MCS. He also coached at Waterville High School for two years and Cazenovia College for one year. In his tenure as a varsity coach Engle's team won three league varsity titles at MCS and his team scored over 100 points in several games. The highest score was 107 in a win against LaFargeville High School in the 1990-91 season.
Engle worked at Morrisville College as assistant coach to Al Wayman for one year and also under current coach Joe Smith for two years. Joe had been a student and player on Coach Engle's team during his high school years.
Coach Engle also served as a high school football referee for 10 years for the Mohawk Valley chapter. Coach Engle served as a broadcaster of internet games for the Morrisville State College Basketball team for two years. A notable accomplishment of Coach Engle was that all through his 21 years as a JV and Varsity coach he was never assessed a technical foul or removed from a game. His career records include 206 wins and 87 losses.
Surviving are his wife, Marilyn; his children, Kimberly (Mohamed) Hamdani of Wilbraham, Mass. and Richard N. Engle II of Oriskany Falls; brothers, Robert W. Engle of Madison and John D. Jones of West Monroe; his grandchildren, Nadia Hamdani and Zachary Hamdani, both of Wilbraham, Mass., Omar (Leah) Hamdani of Santa Cruz, Calif. and Adam Hamdani of Portland, Ore. He was predeceased by two sisters, Barbara Jean Butman and Beverly Jane Biederman.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 13, 2016 from the Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home, 25 Broad St., Hamilton, followed by interment in the Madison Village Cemetery.
Friends are invited to call at the funeral home on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
Contributions may be made to the Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home, 25 Broad St., Hamilton, N.Y. 13346, to establish a scholarship in his memory.
To send a condolence and sign the Book of Memories online go to www.burgessandtedescofuneralhomes.com
Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Homes, Inc.