Kaley Earl Sonner was born on 19 June 1916 in Chattaroy, Spokane Co., WA. He married
on 8 February 1938 in Spokane Co., WA; ceremony by Cherles T. Goodsell, J.P. He died on 2 January 1997 in Spokane, Spokane Co., WA,
Obituary – The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington; Sunday, January 5, 1997, page B4 (Newspapers.com):
SONNER, Kaley A. (Age 80) – lifetime resident of Spokane, Wa, entered into rest January 2, 1997. He is survived by his son, Bill Sonner of North Carolina; daughters, Sandra Eddy of Redmond, WA, Kathy Halsey of Nine Mile Falls, WA; eight grandchildren, four great-grandchildren. Mr. Sonner owned and operated Kaley’s Tavern in Spokane. He was also very active in boxing, having coached many very successful boxers at the local, state and national levels. Memorial Mass Monday, January 6, 1997 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Anthony Catholic Church, Father John Donnelly, celebrant. Urn burial at Holy Cross Cemetery. Memorials may be made to a youth organization of your choice. CHENEY FUNERAL CHAPEL, CHENEY, WA in charge of cremation and arrangements.
The Spoksman-Review, October 29, 2013 (via Findagrave.com):
January 6, 1997 in Sports
Area Fight Coach, Trainer Sonner Passes Away At 80
From Staff Reports
Memorial mass will be said this morning for Kaley Sonner, a major figure in Spokane boxing circles for more than 50 years.
Sonner, a lifelong Spokane resident, died Thursday. He was 80.
Services will begin at 11 a.m. in St. Anthony's Catholic Church, 2320 N. Cedar. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
An amateur fighter himself in the early 1930s, Sonner gave up the ring to teach the sport. For years, he coached youngsters at gymnasiums around the city, gaining a wide reputation for his work with boys from poor and broken homes.
The gravel-voiced former Spokane Humane Society employee, seldom seen without a small dog on his arm, also trained numerous amateur and professional fighters at the local, state and national levels.
His sons, Kaley Jr., who was known as Kelly, and Bill Sonner, were among his most successful proteges.
Kelly Sonner, a featherweight, won all but three of his 85 amateur fights. He was unbeaten in six professional starts before he was killed in action, serving with the U.S. Army in Vietnam, in early 1968.
Kaley Sonner's best-known professional fighter was Kirk Barrow, a top 10 light heavyweight in the 1950s. Prior to that, he worked with the legendary Tiger Jack Fox.
For almost two decades, through the mid-1970s, Sonner owned and operated Kaley's Tavern at 218 N. Stevens.
In 1969, he received a 25-year award from the Inland Empire Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association.
He is survived by Bill Sonner, now a North Carolina resident, and daughters Sandra Eddy of Redmond, Wash., and Kathy Halsey of Nine Mile Falls.
He was buried on 6 January 1997 in Holy Cross Cemetery, Spokane, Spokane Co., WA, Findagrave #119511151.