Local sports enthusiasts are remembering Coach Dave Omer of Washington. He died Tuesday at the age of 85.

Omer, a longtime educator and basketball coach, passed away at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Evansville. His coaching career spanned more than 40 years.

Born in Blackford, Kentucky, in 1939, Omer began his career in his home state before making Indiana his permanent coaching home. He led teams at New Harmony, Waldron, Whiteland, Boonville, Barr-Reeve, and Washington High Schools. His dedication to the game culminated in a storybook ending—coaching Washington to a 3A State Championship victory in 2005, his final game before retirement. That same year, he lost his wife, Wilda, to cancer.

With 470 career wins, Omer’s legacy was cemented when he was inducted into the Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Visitation will be held on Monday, February 3, from 4 to 8 p.m. EST at Goodwin-Sievers Funeral Home in Washington.  A graveside service will take place at New Clay Cemetery in Clay, Kentucky, on Tuesday, February 4, at 10 a.m. CST.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Dave and Wilda Omer Scholarship Fund through the Daviess County Community Foundation.

Donations can be made at daviesscountycf.org.