Richard Dale Handley

Richard Dale (Dick) Handley of Bandon, Oregon, died Sunday, Oct. 13, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 86.

Dick was born April 6, 1938, in Portland, Oregon, to Russ and Catherine (Brunner) Handley. In 1957 he married his high school sweetheart Louise; together they raised four children. He attended Lewis & Clark College, earning a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Arts in Teaching.

He will be remembered with fondness by countless students as a funny and easy- going teacher and college guidance counselor and a dedicated coach. He taught in Ukiah, Gresham, and North Bend, Oregon; however, most of his teaching career was at Bandon High School, where he taught history and civics to decades of BHS students. To many of those students he was also “Coach”; he headed up the cross-country and track programs, as well as the Jayvee basketball team, for many years. It was not unusual for him to teach the children of former students, and several former students became long-time colleagues and friends.

Over the years, Dick held many jobs while finishing his education and while teaching, but his most unusual job, he always said, was as a teenager working for a neighbor, “putting new covers on old golf balls.”

In addition to teaching, Dick served on Bandon’s city library board, and he spent many years singing with barbershop choruses, including the Gold Coast Chorus in Coos Bay and over 15 years with Portland’s preeminent, award-winning Bridgetown Sound, for which he also served in many official roles, organized and emceed banquets, and was awarded Barbershopper of the Year.

Known for his quick wit, love of a good book, and enduring patience, Dick loved running into and chatting with people he knew, from colleagues and neighbors to former students; a simple trip to the grocery store often stretched out far longer than planned. One former student and family friend noted, “I'll always remember how much I liked him as a teacher, a coach, and a person.”

Dick is remembered with deep love and fondness by his wife of 67 years Louise; his children Beth Handley, Rick Handley, Jennifer Handley, and Michael Handley; and granddaughters Sierra Gotelli, Aven Handley-Merk, Cady Handley Tucker, and Hattie Handley.

Dick requested that any memorial contributions be made to the Bandon Historical Museum.

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