So reads a reflection in the book God Calling that sat on Lana Yoder Dale’s nightstand. It was on one of the many pages on which she folded a corner. Those who knew Lana would not be surprised.
Surrounded by family at home and held deeply in the hearts of hundreds of friends, Lana Yoder Dale passed away at 11 p.m. Dec. 28, 2020 after a nearly 4-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was 59.
Born in 1961, Lana spent her career in hospital administration – the bulk of that at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She started as medical transcriptionist and rose to lead numerous programs, always fighting for the well-being of women and children. Her true gift was making connections between those in need and those with means. One day she would connect someone looking for work with someone she knew needed help. The next she would introduce two people who would become lifelong friends. She would listen for hours to a dear friend or a new acquaintance, passing along words of empowerment.
As important those connections were to Lana, they do not rise to the level of devotion she had to her daughters, Ashley and Mackenzie, and to her granddaughter Harper. She loved, encouraged, scolded and comforted the girls, each year praying to be present for the next milestone. The arrival of Harper in 2015 brought immense joy to Lana and sustained her through her illness.
Lana had always been a fierce advocate for patients navigating the health care system. Once she became a patient, she somehow found even more drive for patient rights – for herself and others. She spent hours on the phone talking to a friend or stranger who had been diagnosed with cancer. She found joy in giving comfort to others, even through the roughest days of her own treatment.
Born in Hutchinson and raised in Yoder, KS, Lana graduated from Haven High School and Hesston College before moving to Colorado in 1981. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Colorado Christian University in 1997 while raising her two young daughters. Lana loved playing softball, riding bikes, and being outdoors.
She is survived by her husband, Kevin Dale, daughters Ashley Thiessen and Mackenzie Oberle, granddaughter Harper Oberle; son-in-law Joseph Oberle, all of Castle Rock, Colorado; twin sister Luanne Southern of Austin, Texas; nephew Zachary Southern of San Francisco, California; sister and brother-in-law LaDeana and Steve Hindle, niece Rachel Hindle and mother Annie Yoder, of Yoder; nephew Isaac Hindle, wife Maria, and son Hudson, of Kansas City, KS; and a long list of friends and family from all over the country.
Memorials should be directed to Brent’s Place at brentsplace.org, an organization that provides long-term safe clean accommodations and training to patients and their families undergoing treatment at Children’s Hospital Colorado, or to Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance at ocrahope.org, a group dedicated to advancing ovarian cancer research and to advocating for patients. Lana volunteered with both groups.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.11.3