Dale Lee PATTON

PATTON, GANGSTEAD, SHARP, WALLUKAIT, SHARP

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 2/2/2008 at 23:46:45

January 18, 2008
Fort Dodge Messenger

HUMBOLDT — Dale Lee Patton, 75, of Humboldt, passed away January 16, 2008 at his home. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, January 19, 2008 at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Humboldt with the Rev. Paul Bengtson officiating. Interment will be in Union Cemetery, Humboldt. Visitation with the family will be from 4-7 p.m. today at the Mason-Lindhart Funeral home in Humboldt.

Survivors include his wife, Grace of 54 years; two sons, Michael (Sammy) of Jefferson City, MO, and Steven (Kayleen) of Cedar Rapids, IA; and seven Patton grandchildren, Ben (Lauren), Tim (Wendy), Terese, Andy, Troy, Josie, and Trinity. Immediate family members include his mother, Esther of Humboldt; brother, Don (Barbara) of Rogers, AR; and sisters, Beverly Gangstead of Dakota City, and Sally Jo Patton of Baltimore, MD. Also surviving are his uncle Don Sharp of Clarion; in-laws, Bob and Jeanne Wallukait of Temple City, CA; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Maynard Patton, and brother-in-law, Jim Gangstead.

Dale Lee Patton was born in Goldfield, Iowa on February 14, 1932, the oldest son of Maynard and Esther (Sharp) Patton. In his early years, Dale lived in many towns in Michigan and Iowa, and attended 11 different schools in 13 years before graduating from Renwick High School in 1950 and moving to Humboldt that same year. He served in the United States Navy in 1951 and was honorably discharged that year. He began courting Grace Lois Wallukait while she was teaching school in Storm Lake, Iowa, in 1952 and the two were married at the First Lutheran Church on Sumner Avenue on August 2, 1953, during a summer thunderstorm. Dale started working on the transmission line crew for Humboldt’s Corn Belt Power Cooperative in 1951. After becoming a meter technician in 1964, Dale continued his career at Corn Belt until 1994, completing 43-and-a-half years of service. Dale served the rural electric customers of Iowa from Spencer to Traer and Denison to Fredericksburg, driving his customized yellow Corn Belt van-laboratory down Iowa’s highways and gravel roads for many years. Dale took pride in his work, striving for accuracy ad precision. He was motivated by a strong work ethic and a sense of service to the customer that was an inspiration to all who knew him.

Dale was an avid Hawkeye fan, attending football games with Grace at Kinnnick Stadium starting in 1974, and rarely missing a home game until his health made this too difficult to sustain in 2007. Many times the nearby Hawkeye faithful heard Dale say, “That’s the ticket!!!” during times of Hawkeye joy, or “Oh, pots!” to mark fan’s disappointment with the outcome on the field. Dale has many friends, ranging from the thousands that he met during his work years, to the hundreds he met in Barbershoppers and in the Masonic Lodge, to the 15 that were in his high school graduating class in Renwick. Being a life-long resident of Humboldt County, his network of friends established over the years was one of the most important things in his life. He has left his mark upon us all.

In spite of his life challenges with chronic illnesses of diabetes and cancer, he turned those into strengths while coaching and encouraging others whom he encountered with similar needs. He helped to turn their burdens into opportunities and their distress into hope. He also participated in landmark diabetes and cancer research studies at the Mayo Clinic. He was teaching his physicians and nurses through life experiences right up to the end. The entire Patton family owes a debt of gratitude to the medical professionals of the Mayo Clinic that cared for Dale, especially to Dr. John Service, his diabetes doctor, Dr. Timothy Call, his hematologist, and Deb Bowen, his nurse practitioner. Additionally, a special note of appreciation is afforded to the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital staff, the Home Care Connection Hospice Staff, and Dr. Dvorak, who supported Dale and his family during his final days. Dale was a long time member of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church and knew Jesus Christ as his savior and redeemer. He leaves us all better people from having known him.