YAKIMA, WA. (THECOUNT) — Susie Edler, the wife of former Yakima Mayor and Seattle Mariners player Dave Edler, has been identified as the woman killed in a head-on crash Sunday afternoon in Yakima County, Washington. Dave Edler, 70, was critically injured and airlifted to a Seattle hospital. A 26-year-old driver was arrested following the collision.
The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. November 8 on Coolidge Road near South 76th Avenue, in the 7600 block of the roadway, according to the Yakima Police Department. The couple, both Yakima residents, were traveling in one of the vehicles involved.
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Police said the preliminary investigation indicates the 26-year-old man was driving westbound on Coolidge Road in the eastbound lane at a high rate of speed when his vehicle collided head-on with the Edlers’ vehicle.
Both Edlers were transported to MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Susie, 67, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Dave was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for further treatment.
The 26-year-old driver, who is also from Yakima, was arrested at the scene and booked into the Yakima County Jail on charges of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. Police said alcohol is believed to have been a contributing factor. The investigation remains ongoing.
The tragedy has deeply affected the Yakima community, where the Edlers were known for their years of service in ministry and public life. Dave and Susie served together at Yakima Foursquare Church, where they spent 24 years helping lead the congregation and its expanding network of churches.
According to the church’s history, Dave and Susie helped guide Yakima Foursquare for more than two decades. In April 2019, leadership of the church was formally transitioned to their son, Jacob, and daughter-in-law, Chantal. Dave continued serving in leadership within the broader Foursquare movement, overseeing churches in several surrounding states.
Beyond his ministry, Dave Edler was a familiar figure in Yakima politics. He served on the Yakima City Council beginning in 2003 and became mayor in 2006. He held the mayoral position through 2010, becoming known locally for his work in city government and community leadership.
Edler also had a professional baseball career before entering ministry and public service. He played Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners from 1980 through 1983, primarily as a third baseman. He made his major league debut on September 4, 1980, after playing college baseball at Washington State University.
Edler’s baseball career included time in the Mariners’ minor-league system before he returned to Yakima and became a pastor. A 2009 profile published by Washington State University described how he moved from professional baseball into ministry and eventually became a prominent figure in his hometown.
The crash occurred on Coolidge Road in the West Valley area of Yakima, near South 76th Avenue. Yakima is located in south-central Washington and serves as the county seat of Yakima County, in the Yakima Valley region east of the Cascade Range.
Approximate Google Maps location: Coolidge Road near South 76th Avenue, Yakima, WA
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