Ray Normile, former hoops coach, dies

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Ray Normile was the kind of basketball coach who hosted his players for dinner, the kind of teacher who couldn't be stopped by retirement, and the kind of man who fought heart problems through five hospital stays during the past year.

Normile died Saturday at Evergreen Hospital, where he had been since July 4. The former basketball coach at Queen Anne High School was 88.

"He said every game must come to an end," said his daughter, Sherry Normile-Isenhath. "He lived a wonderful life. He died very gracefully."

In 1944, Normile coached Kennewick High School to its first state basketball tournament. In 1947, he began coaching at Queen Anne, a high school that closed in 1981. His Queen Anne teams played in the Metro League, a conference so competitive that Normile called it "the Pac-10 of the state." In 21 seasons, his teams finished in the upper division 12 times.

Bob Houbregs played for Normile at Queen Anne, later becoming an All-American at Washington. Gary Snider, father of Missouri basketball coach Quin Snider, also played for Normile.

"And he never forgot a former player's name," said Walt Milroy, a coaching colleague at Queen Anne and friend of 50 years. "Not one."

Normile is survived by daughter Sherry, son David Normile of Kenmore, son-in-law Stan Isenhath and four grandchildren. Ray's wife, Lorene, died two years ago.

Funeral services are scheduled for July 27 at Sand Point Community Church. The family asked that instead of flowers, donations could be made to the American Heart Association or the athletic scholarship named for Ray Normile by the Men of Queen Anne, P.O. Box 294, Bothell, WA 98041.

Normile was inducted into the state basketball coaches hall of fame in 1993.

"His passion for the game and his relationship with the players, he seemed to enjoy that more than anything else," said Dee Hawkes, who played for Normile in the 1950s and later coached high-school football. "Just being there and coaching the game and building those relationships is what defined Ray Normile."