Wally Mueller was born on March 23, 1929, the first day in a long, full and remarkable life. He grew up in Buffalo, NY, the oldest child of Oscar and Anna Mueller, German immigrants who provided him with many enduring legacies; a passion for soccer and German beer, an appreciation for homemade (and all) wine, the love of gathering family around a table of good food, some killer sauerbraten, kuchen and lemon cookie recipes, and the firm knowledge that Beethoven was the greatest composer ever to grace the earth. These live on in his children, grandchildren, and the great-grandchildren he had the great fortune to meet.
He attended college at RPI in Troy, NY earning a degree in electrical engineering and a spot on the All-American soccer team, met a cute co-ed from Russell Sage College named Sally Schek, had the good sense to marry her, and they moved back to western New York to start raising a family. And, because a career in the aerospace industry designing inertial guidance systems that went to the moon wasn’t enough, in his spare time he played soccer at the Buffalo Soccer Club and then began coaching boys youth soccer teams. There is literally no counting the number of uniforms washed, oranges sliced, or miles put on cars in the pursuit of soccer glory. And when life brought him and his family to New Jersey, both his career in the aerospace industry and his volunteer time as the coach of youth soccer teams continued uninterrupted. Before the moving boxes were even unpacked, fields were located, contacts were made and bags of soccer balls appeared in the garage.
When he decided in 1991 that he was done with the rat race, in true Wally fashion, he gave his employer six days’ notice that he was leaving and promptly signed up as head coach of the boys soccer team at Morris Catholic High School, for the first time getting paid to do something he had been doing voluntarily for decades and effectively starting a second career. In the fifteen years he coached there, he transformed the team into a state powerhouse, winning many county, conference and sectional titles and an unmatched seven state titles in a row. In 2009 he was inducted into the New Jersey Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame. Of the hundreds of players that passed through the program, many, many of them developed an enduring passion for soccer, going on to play in college and beyond. For some, they continue the tradition by coaching themselves and others by teaching their own children to love The Beautiful Game. Like the ripples from a stone tossed into a pond, his reach is long and wide and never-ending.
But for all the accomplishments, his essential legacy is his love of life. Family gatherings, a rousing “discussion,” a glass of wine, a good dog to pet, and a sunny day were his greatest pleasures. He often said he was “a Cancun kind of guy.” His much-repeated advice was to “enjoy life. Everything else was just noise.” He is survived by his sister, four children and their spouses, ten grandchildren and their spouses, two great-grandchildren, seven granddogs, and countless people who remember him as coach, mentor and friend. He will be sorely missed by all of them.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 14th from 2 – 4PM & 6 – 8PM at Goble Funeral Home 22 Main St., Sparta, NJ 07871. Cremation will be held privately. We ask that friends and family please wear their masks and keep their visit to a minimum.
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