Dale G. Countryman

Dale Gene Countryman was the first born of Leonard Angelo and Pearl (Loomis) Countryman, on June 21, 1939, in Jewell County, Kansas. Dale had one brother, Steve and wife, Jayne of Bentley, Kansas; two sisters, Judy and husband, Blaine Wells of Cedaredge, Colorado, and Rita and husband, Dennis Thompson of Beloit, Kansas; and a step-brother, A.C. and wife, Kathy Fall of Jasper, Missouri.

Dale attended Grade School in two country schools and Esbon Grade School. He attended and graduated from Esbon High School in 1957.

He entered the Air Force on February 10, 1959, and though he wanted to fly and take photographs, he was trained to be a cook. He served at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois, and was honorably discharged on December 14, 1962. Dale’s training as a cook really came in handy as his grandchildren will attest to.

From a previous marriage, two daughters were born, Lisa and Chris. Lisa has two children: James and Tineka. Chris has two children: Anthony and Dekeyla. There are three great grandchildren: Alahana, Alexandria, and Issaac.

On October 5, 1969, Dale and Nana Rebecca Beale were married in the Burr Oak Christian Church, Burr Oak, Kansas. Most of their courtship was by mail and telephone, as Dale was living near Bennett, Colorado. They moved back to the family farm south of Esbon, in March of 1971, where Dale got back to his passion of farming. During this time, he attended North Central Vo-Tech taking classes on bricklaying, and carpentry. He loved his milk cows, so they made lots of homemade ice cream, butter, and cheese. His favorite ice cream was strawberry. He also loved cooking breakfast, especially when kids and grandkids were visiting.

During these years, Dale was photography leader and club leader for 4-H. He also served as a County President of Jewell County Farmer’s Union.

Early in the summer of 1987, they moved to Summit County, Colorado. Dale loved it there as they were right in the mountains, another passion of his. Missing his daughters, they moved to Salina, Kansas. After a short stint of working on a road pavement crew, he began working at Salina Supply Company in Salina. A few years later, he became a warehouse foreman. Though he missed farming, he loved working there where he could visit, tell jokes, and be around people.

In October of 1999, Dale was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Dale faced this with courage and a positive attitude. In January of 2005, Dale flew to Seattle, Washington, to receive a mini stem-cell transplant at the Puget Sound Veterans Hospital, which occurred in March. Through all of this, Dale never lost his love of life, and the positive attitude that he would survive. The past year was really rough for him even though the cancer was gone; graph vs. host disease caused many problems for him. He fought a brave battle, positive to the end. Dale lost the battle on February 11, 2008, at the Kenwood View Nursing Home, Salina, Kansas, at the age of 68.

Dale was the most courageous person I ever knew. He is survived by his family including nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, and a host of friends.

Celebration of life services for Dale G. Countryman were held on Friday, February 15, 2008, at 2:00 p.m., at the Melby Mortuary Chapel, Mankato, Kansas, with Pastor Thaddeus Hinkle officiating, and Saturday, February 16, 2008, at 2:00 p.m., at the Belmont Christian Church, Salina, Kansas, with Pastor Greg Guy officiating. Music was prerecorded selections: “Daddy’s Hands” by Holly Dunn, “International Harvester” by Craig Morgan, “Don’t Blink” by Kenny Chesney, and “Young Love” by Sonny James. Honorary casket bearers were: Morris Hillman, Dan Libby, Cecil Hillman, Bob Rose, Harold Shoemaker, and Jack Spooner. United States Air Force, McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, Kansas, presented Military Honors. Inurnment will be at a later date. The family suggests memorials: to Bone Marrow Foundation, American Cancer Society, or Leukemia Society of America. Melby Mortuary, Mankato, Knasas, was in charge of arrangements.