Around 200 people attended a memorial service held for Manuel David Palmeiro on Friday, August 15, 2025, at the M. David Palmeiro Stadium in Tarkio. Approximately seventy of those attendees were former football players or assistant coaches of the longtime Tarkio High School football coach and teacher. Through his incredible coaching skills, the football teams at Tarkio High School went on to many playoff wins, football championship showings, and a football state championship title. But more importantly, the life lessons he taught those boys on and off the field lasted for the rest of their lives.

Todd Staples spoke fondly of Coach Palmeiro and his time playing for the Indians under his direction. He also led everyone in a few prayers.

Carrie Winkleman, Dave Palmeiro’s niece, was one of his family members who made the trip to Tarkio to honor their late loved one.

Bob Lade (above) and Gary Hogue (below) spoke about the years spent under the tutelage of Dave Palmeiro, not only having him as a football coach, but later as a friend and mentor when they became coaches as well.

Around 200 people attended a memorial service held for Manuel David Palmeiro on Friday, August 15, 2025, at the M. David Palmeiro Stadium in Tarkio.

Manuel David Palmeiro, or Dave, or Coach as most referred to him, was one of those coaches who will never be forgotten, and not always for the reasons you would think. Through his incredible football coaching skills, the football teams at Tarkio High School went on to many playoff wins, football championship showings, and a football state championship title. But more importantly, the life lessons he taught those boys on and off the field lasted for the rest of their lives: stay humble, always leave a room cleaner that it was when you arrived, never embarrass your opponent, show as much respect for the janitor as you do for the bigwig, working your tail off doesn’t always land you the prize, but it rewards you with the determination and stamina to keep going, and never give up, even when life puts a steep and jagged mountain to climb in front of you. Seeing the number of people in attendance and listening to the stories from his players who haven’t played on his team for around five decades, but stayed in contact with him over the years and became as close as sons was proof enough that this was a very special man. Although his hard practices, Spanish cussing, and tough love coaching strategies more than likely wouldn’t be allowed today, it is so obvious that it not only worked, but earned the respect of every player who ever took the field under his direction. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Dave was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame as a football coach in 2013. Twenty-eight of Dave’s 30 years in coaching have come at the helm of the Tarkio Indians at Tarkio High School. During his tenure, Coach Palmeiro amassed a total of 204 victories against only 56 defeats and 5 ties. A 1993 inductee to the Missouri Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, he guided his Indians to a state title in 1971, with runner-up finishes in 1991 and 1995. Dave was born June 10, 1943. He moved to Tarkio from New York to attend Tarkio College and following graduation, taught and coached two years at Fairfax R-3. He then began his coaching and teaching tenure at Tarkio, and made history. Dave passed away March 14, 2025, in South America.