Harley L. Williams

Harley attended schools in Wallace, Lewiston and St. Joseph’s Mission in Slickpoo before moving to Clarkston, where he excelled in football, basketball, track and baseball for the Bantams. He set numerous school athletic records at Clarkston, and his 17-touchdown season in 1944 remains the school record to this day. After graduation, Harley was in communication with Notre Dame football coach Hugh Devore, who told him that if the Army didn’t want him, the Fighting Irish did. The Army won out, however, as Harley was drafted and entered military service in 1945.

While serving in the Army, Harley married his high-school sweetheart, Pat Johnson, on Sept. 19, 1946. They welcomed their first son, Lonnie, while stationed in Lompoc, Calif.

The young family moved back to Clarkston four months later, and Harley spurned an offer to play football for Washington State College in favor of the University of Idaho. After two seasons of football and two seasons of baseball at the UI, he transferred to North Idaho College of Education, now LCSC, where he played football and baseball and finished his bachelor’s degree.

Unable to get a teaching and coaching position right out of college, Harley went to work in the laboratory at the Potlatch Forests Inc. paper mill. That lasted until 1951, when he took a job teaching and coaching baseball at Lapwai High School. He went on to become the football, basketball and track coach at Lapwai as well, leading the Wildcats to their first-ever state basketball title in 1956.

Meanwhile, he and Pat’s family was growing. Daughter Sherry and son Tom were born in 1950 and 1952, respectively, and Sandy would come along in 1954.

While continuing to teach and coach at Lapwai, Harley went back to school at Washington State University, earning his master’s degree in school administration in 1960.

Harley left Lapwai to become superintendent at Pierce High School, and in 1962 returned to his alma mater, Clarkston High School. Over the next 31 years, Harley’s teams fashioned a 490-210-4 record in football, basketball, baseball, track and wrestling.

After “retiring” in 1983, Harley became principal of Holy Family Catholic School, and then went on to serve two terms as Asotin County commissioner. In his later years, Harley became exalted ruler of the Lewiston Elks Lodge.

Harley was preceded in death by his parents and his older brother, Harold. He is survived by his wife of 74 years, Pat, as well as sons Lonnie and Tom (Dana) and daughters Sherry (Ray) Domaskin and Sandy (Mike) Andrews. He also leaves behind grandchildren Michael (Nora) Domaskin, Angela (Mike) Horn, Jeremy (Deedee) Williams, Lonnie Williams, Dawn (Ben) Harrell and Shane (Jennifer) Andrews, and great-grandchildren Eddie, Johnny, Zac and Emma Domaskin, Alexa, Kayla, Madison, Taylor and Mikey Horn, Mikah, Mason, Olivia and Sophia Williams, Ashton, Olivia and Ben Harrell, and Paige and Leo Andrews. He also is survived by his sister-law, Mary Schlee, and numerous nieces and nephews.

To those of you who played for Coach Williams: “OK ... Last play and we’ll hit the showers.”

A funeral Mass for Harley on Dec. 21 at Holy Family Catholic Church will be streamed as a live event on the Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home Facebook page beginning at 11 a..m