William "Dale" White

William Dale White, age 93, was born August 7, 1920 in Maples, Missouri, a son of Evan M and Anna White, née Ervin. Known as Dale by family and friends, he passed away on August 7, 2014, in Osage Beach, Missouri, near his beloved Lake of the Ozarks.

Dale was raised in Edgar Springs Missouri, at a time when the value of a hard day’s work was learned at an early age. While still underage he was signed up by his father to serve in the Civilian Conservation Corps. Dale served for two years working on projects in Arizona and Seattle, Washington. He also toiled in the potato fields of North Dakota, working the harvest and driving a potato truck. Truck driving suited Dale well and he drove truck for several other companies.

He moved to St. Louis at the onset of World War II. Dale contributed to the war effort on the home front working at Wagner Electric Company. In 1942 he married Josephine Diekmann, a young girl he met while roller skating. After the war Dale was drawn again to truck driving, this time for Carson &Union, May, Stearn Furniture Company. He worked hard delivering furniture in an era when furniture was really heavy. Dale retired from the furniture business and then served for several years and a maintenance man for the Special School District in St. Louis.

He was a proud member of the Overland Community Volunteer Fire Department and served a year or two after the department transitioned from volunteer to paid firefighters. It wasn’t only fighting the fires that appealed to Dale. He enjoyed taking part in the many community service events sponsored by the fire department.

Even though Dale knew how to work, he also knew how to have fun. He was at home in the great outdoors and took advantage of the splendor. Whether it was hunting pheasant in Nebraska, deer and Elk in Colorado, fishing in Canada and in the Lake of the Ozarks, perhaps even the term “avid outdoorsman” isn’t sufficient to describe his passion.

In addition to his wife Josephine, Dale JoAnn (Charles) Filla and Gary (Linda) White; five grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter.

Family and friends will gather for a funeral service at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 11, 2014, at Alexander-White-Mullen Funeral Home, 11101 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, Mo. 63074. Interment will follow in Mt. Lebanon Cemetery. Visitation will be at the funeral home from 11 a.m. until the time of service.