WILLIAMS, Dale J. (1918-2018)

WILLIAMS

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 1/29/2019 at 14:13:58

Dale J. Williams
(August 17, 1918 - June 24, 2018)

The Rev. Dale J. Williams, 99, died on Sunday June 24, 2018, at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, after suffering complications related to a fall. A celebration of his life will be held 3 p.m., Sunday, July 8, 2018, at Indianola First United Methodist Church, 307 W. Ashland Ave., Indianola, IA. Dale was born August 17, 1918, on a farm near Mallard, Iowa, to Elbert Ottie Williams and Nellie Adellaide DeSart Williams. His father farmed until he moved to Newton, Iowa, when Dale was in high school. He graduated from Newton High School in 1935 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce from the State University of Iowa in 1941. He attended Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL and received a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1944, he received a Master of Divinity degree in 1969, followed by a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1974 from Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Also, in 1974 he received continuing education at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
He married Anna LaJeune Dieterich on September 11, 1942, in the Chapel at Garrett and lived in the third-floor attic apartment of one of Dale’s seminary professors until graduation. During that time his first pastoral assignment was in southern Illinois, at Oakwood where he drove his car one way, returning by train, then doing the reverse the following week due to war rationing. He was ordained to the Ministry in 1943 and served in the Iowa Conference of the Methodist Church. There his congregations included: What Cheer, 1944-49; Simpson Church, Des Moines, 1949-1956; Denison, 1956-1960; West Liberty, 1960-65; Grace Church, Des Moines, 1965-70; St. Luke's Church, Dubuque, 1970-73; and Broadway Church, Council Bluffs, 1979-83. He was appointed District Superintendent of the Ottumwa District from 1973-79.
In addition to parish ministry he was involved with ministerial recruitment for 22 years through the Board of Ordained Ministry; the Board of Higher Education; the Iowa Board of Wesley Foundation; Conference Council on Ministries; the Board of Pensions and for over 20 years gave his time to summer youth camps and retreats.
In the community he was a Trustee of Iowa Wesleyan College; a member of the Des Moines Council of Churches, and Dubuque Council of Churches, the Masonic Lodge and the Exchange Club and served as president of the Rotary Club of West Liberty. He and his wife had two daughters. Lynanne born during their time in What Cheer, and Janinne (Jann) while at Simpson in Des Moines. He was always a builder and fixer: He steered the building of a beautiful new church in West Liberty from start to finish. Earlier with the help of a friend he built a vacation cottage which was to become a retirement home in Bull Shoals, Arkansas and spent many spring, summer and fall breaks there. Eventually they sold that house in favor of a camping trailer, for which he built a deluxe camp kitchen for several memorable vacations to show the girls the rest of the country from East to West.
But in 1972, they returned to their retirement dreams, building a home at the foot of the Rockies in Estes Park, CO. After many years of vacationing there, they retired to Estes Park in 1983 where he continued to serve the church and wider community in many ways, again building more houses with Habitat for Humanity. He helped establish a new Methodist congregation there and became chairman of the capital campaign, the building committee and general contractor when it came time to build a new church. He was president of the local AARP chapter, served on the American Cancer Society Board and for 16 years worked and preached on the Estes Park Church of the Air weekly broadcasts. He enjoyed the elk and wildlife, the beautiful views of the Rockies from their home, hiking in the mountains and many outings with newfound friends. He was an avid reader, and always had several books going at once, enjoying history and biographies especially. Grandchildren were a new pleasure during this time, with Lynanne's children on the East Coast and later Jann's two children in Iowa; in recent years he experienced the special joy of watching great-grandchildren grow up.
After 16 years in their beloved mountains, he and LaJeune moved to The Village in Indianola where they have lived happily and productively since 1999, volunteering on many committees, leading and preaching at worship, and partaking of the many offerings there and at Simpson College for another 19 years. They suffered a major blow when their younger daughter Jann died of cancer in 2013. In June of 2017 LaJeune suffered a stroke and Dale became her daily companion and assistant in the Village Health Center until she passed away in May, 2018.
Dale is survived by his daughter Lynanne Wilson (Stephen) of Charlottesville VA, his son-in-law Kirk Dickey of Des Moines, four grandchildren, Eric Wilson (Sarah) of Lexington VA, Elisa Wilson (Doran Spencer) of San Diego, CA, Ryan Dickey, of Ankeny, IA, Kate Dickey Cossa (David) and three great grandchildren, Anna Wilson, Wyatt Spencer, and Aurelie Spencer. He was preceded in death by his parents, his four brothers Donald, Gordon, twin brother Gale and infant Harry Williams and a sister, Bernice; his daughter, Janinne Williams and his wife, LaJeune D. Williams.
Memorial gifts in honor of Dale may be directed to The Good Shepherd Fund at The Village, 1203 North E St. Indianola, IA 50125 or to Habitat for Humanity. This memorial is provided by Overton Funeral Home, 501 West Ashland Ave., Indianola, Iowa, http://www.overtonfuneral.com/