Dale Q. Bettenhausen was born July 12, 1927 in Lyons, Nebraska to John H.W. and Lillie (Linn) Bettenhausen. He was baptized at the Lyons Methodist Church on August 12, 1927. He was a lifetime member of the Methodist Church. He attended school and graduated from Lyons High School in 1945. He worked at a local grocery store where he was a clerk after school and fulltime in the summers. Some summers he detassled corn. He was drafted into the Army and after basic training was sent to San Francisco, CA for shipment overseas. He remained in California for his duties in special orders section where orders were cut for servicemen to be sent overseas. He was honorably discharged after World War II in 1947. He went to Lincoln and was employed by Gold’s Food Basket as a meat cutter for 23 years and also for Ideal Grocery for 19 years, a total of 42 years in the meat business. He was a member of the American Legion Post #3 and St Mark’s Methodist Church. He enjoyed fishing, flower gardening, bowling, model railroads, working on the house and keeping everything in working order.
He is survived by wife, Retta (Leininger); daughter, Debra (Duane) Miller of Davenport and son, Larry of Lincoln; grandchildren, Erin and Chris Schroeder, Ryan and Whitney Miller, Ross and Justine Miller, Drew and Emily Miller, Matt and Chelsea Bettenhausen, and Nick Bettenhausen; great grandchildren, Audrey and Ross Bettenhausen, Mason, Barrett, and Callie Schroeder, Shelby, Dawson, Rhett, and Hadley Miller, Leah, Olivia, and Evan Miller, and Blake, Briar, Cord, Iyla, and Nash Miller.
Dale is preceded in death by parents, John H.W. and Lillie Bettenhausen; sister, Rosa (Harry) Stamp; brothers, John (Velma) Bettenhausen, Edward (Catherine) Bettenhausen, Raymond (Rachel) Bettenhausen, Virgil (Fern) Anderson, Arthur (Jean) Anderson, and infant brother, Keith Ardell Bettenhausen.