Lloyd Wallace, 83, officer and teacher

Lloyd Wallace, 83, a Philadelphia police officer who became an elementary schoolteacher, died Thursday, Nov. 15, of kidney failure at Stapeley in Germantown, a senior living complex.

Lloyd Audley Oliver Wallace was born June 26, 1929, in Philadelphia, the son of Uriel Hamilton Wallace and Ivy Booth Wallace. During the Depression, the family moved to New York, returning to Philadelphia in 1939.

Mr. Wallace attended Philadelphia public schools, graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School, where he played football, in 1947. He was a lifelong member of St. Simon the Cyrenian Church in South Philadelphia.

Mr. Wallace attended Howard University for one year before joining the Air Force, where he earned the rank of staff sergeant.

After service, he earned a bachelor of science degree at what is now Cheyney University. He later received a master's degree from Antioch University.

Mr. Wallace was a Philadelphia policeman from 1956 to 1965, working as a narcotics officer and in the department's radio room.

In the 1950s he married Jean Raschel, with whom he had four children. They lived in Mount Airy for many years. She died in 1982.

Mr. Wallace later worked as the assistant to the executive director of the Model Cities Program in Philadelphia. He also was a substitute teacher in Philadelphia schools and a security training officer for the U.S. Department of Defense.

He moved to New Jersey with his second wife, Virginia, in the early 1980s. He worked at the Showboat casino before becoming an elementary teacher in the Atlantic City public schools. He also worked for the Volunteers of America.

Mr. Wallace "believed in hard work and education," said his daughter Karen Rutledge, herself a schoolteacher. She said Mr. Wallace's advice to his children and others was, "Get a job, pal."

In declining health, he returned to Philadelphia in 2011, where his children cared for him.

Another daughter, Victoria, said Mr. Wallace had a lifelong interest in history.

"He loved history, particularly military history," she said. "Anything he could get his hands on to read, or watching the Military Channel or the History Channel on TV, that's what he did."

She said Mr. Wallace also stayed abreast of local and national politics.

"He was keenly interested in politics and always had an opinion," Victoria Wallace said. "You never had to guess where he stood on any particular issue. He would let you know."

A devoted Philadelphia sports fan, Mr. Wallace stuck with the Phillies, Eagles, and 76ers "through thick and thin," Victoria Wallace said. He also enjoyed singing, dancing, and listening to music, she said.

He was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Viri Viginti, an African American social club in Philadelphia.

In addition to his daughters, Mr. Wallace is survived by a son, Lloyd; five grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter. A daughter, Pamela, preceded him in death.

A memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, at St. Simon the Cyrenian Church, 1401 S. 22d St. Donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association, Box 11454, Alexandria, Va. 22312.