Smith, Dale 1951 - 2022

SMITH, BLAKE, GREENE, BAUERLY, SONNE, KREBSBACH, DALEBRANDT, ADAMS

Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 5/20/2022 at 12:07:48

Dale Smith, age 70, of Decorah, IA, died on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at his home in Decorah.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m., on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at St. Benedict Catholic Church, 307 West Main Street, Decorah, IA, with Rev. Donald Hertges presiding. Burial will be in the Stacyville Cemetery, Stacyville, IA.

Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, May 23, 2022, at St. Benedict Catholic Church, 307 West Main Street, Decorah and also after 10:00 a.m. at the church on Tuesday morning. There will be a Rosary service at 3:30 p.m. on Monday at the Church

The family strongly encourages the use of masks for Dale's services.

On Wednesday, May 18, Dale Smith, loving husband and father of three, passed away at age 70. It was the conclusion of a 3-year battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), that may have claimed his life, but never touched his devotion to his family, sparkling wit, or the twinkle in his eye.

Dale was born on September 13, 1951. He grew up as one of twelve siblings, on his family’s farm near Stacyville, Iowa. Dale attended Visitation Grade School, Marion High School in Stacyville, and graduated from St. Ansgar High School in 1969. He graduated from NIACC in 1973 before attending the University of Iowa, where he graduated with a BS in General Science and Chemistry.

Dale joined the Peace Corps in 1976. He served for over 3 years in the southern African nation of Swaziland, working for the Ministry of Agriculture as an engineer. He traveled throughout the country, working on clean domestic water systems. His most challenging project took nearly 2 years to complete and resulted in the construction of a concrete dam which gave farmers the ability to grow vegetables during the dry winter offseason.

Dale grew very fond of the Swazi people, whom he found to be incredibly happy and friendly despite living in one of the world’s poorest countries. He spent nearly 5 months traveling throughout Africa, experiencing memorable adventures like climbing Mount Kenya. In total, he visited South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, and Egypt. He also spent time in Europe, seeing Greece, Austria, Germany, France, and Great Britain. He even was able to spend time in Brazil, Venezuela, and Barbados on his way back to the U.S. in 1977.

Once home, Dale began working for Midland and Land O’Lakes as an agronomist, and eventually became general manager of Ossian’s Union Produce Cooperative in 1989. He was an adamant supporter of ethanol and volunteered 2 years of his time to the creation of Golden Grain Energy, an ethanol production plant in Mason City. It gave him great pride to have served as an original board member of a plant that eventually grew into a 140-million-gallon producer.

Shortly after Golden Grain’s startup, Dale retired from the Union Produce Cooperative. He then went into business for himself, founding Concrete Appeal (a decorative concrete company) and Sparklewash (a remote washing business). He remained generous with his time, serving on the Winneshiek County Fair Board for 9 years, the IVA Poultry Board, the Winneshiek County Planning and Zoning Board, and the Farmer’s Union Cooperative board for several years.

He loved keeping busy with his favorite job, farming, most of all. From 1995-2019, he grew corn, alfalfa, and soybeans with his custom operators on 250 acres near Ossian. Completing projects for his numerous rental and farm properties always kept him busy and brought him much enjoyment.

But above all else, Dale loved his family. His devotion to them knew no bounds and was constantly proven through selfless acts whenever called upon. He made his children smile any way he could, whether it be long-winded dad jokes with half-remembered punchlines, or his unique style of dancing that was as hilarious as it was embarrassing. Dale could always be relied on for the answer to a question or a shoulder to lean on.

Dale is survived by his wife Mary (Greene). His children Eric of Iowa City, Ryan of Des Moines, and Chelsea (Brice) Bauerly of North Liberty. As well as granddaughter Brooke Bauerly and grandson Caleb Bauerly.

Dale was preceded in death by parents Raymond and Marjorie (Blake) Smith. Sister Kathy and brother-in-law Alan Sonne. Sister Joyce and brother-in-law Vance Krebsbach. As well as brothers Kenny and Paul, and niece Ally. Dale is survived by sisters Sherry (Todd) Brandt and Donna (Larry) Adams. Sister-in-law Lesa (Paul) Smith. Brothers Dennis (Carol), Roger, Michael (Julie), Joseph (Karla), and Glen Smith. As well as many wonderful nieces and nephews.

Source: Helms Funeral Home datanbase