Irwin Dale Pfeifer

“A very nice man” passed away on December 28, 2016.

Irwin Dale Pfeifer quietly took his last breath in the presence of his family. He was born April 19, 1928 in Wilson Creek, Washington to PJ and Nettie Pfeifer, the seventh of twelve children. Dale was proud of his heritage as a member of a large family of German immigrants from Russia and being an inveterate storyteller, he enjoyed reminiscing about his earlier years. He and his brother Bud sustained their legacy by successfully expanding and improving the original family wheat farm in Marlin, WA. Pfeifer Farms encompassed thousands of acres and demanded support from numerous people. From suppliers and businesses, to local laborers and seasonal workers, the farm never lacked for hands as Dale was known and respected for his fair, honest, kind and friendly nature. He was an exceptional athlete and enjoyed pitching for the town team and competing in basketball, tennis and baseball for Marlin High School where he met his bride, Marion King. They married on September 3, 1949 in Marlin, WA at the same church where he was baptized and confirmed, Salem Lutheran Church. Dale was an active member of the local community serving on multiple boards including the school board and the warehouse board and was elected by his peers to the county ASCS committee, where his cooperative, collaborative and thoughtful decision making was highly valued. Trained as a barber, he often spent long hours after returning from the fields not only keeping the local gentry trimmed and shaven, but also turning customers into friends. After retiring from the farm in 1979, Dale and Marion traveled widely in the US in their motor home and enjoyed a trip to the Holy Lands. They eventually settled in Yakima WA., quickly establishing lasting friendships with their neighbors, a morning coffee group and a Sunday breakfast group. Dale remained a farmer all of his life planting his annual vegetable garden and maintaining a beautiful yard. Always the meticulous craftsman, Dale enjoyed working in his shop turning out numerous, carefully finished wood projects that grace the homes of many of his friends and relatives. As Dale’s health diminished recently, his activities became more limited and assistance from others became more necessary and his fundamental, personal traits became even more evident. Caretakers, medical staff and fellow residents most often, simply and accurately, defined him as “a very nice man.”

Dale is survived by his wife of 67 years, Marion (King) Pfeifer; three children Alan Pfeifer (Tom Dazey), Geraldine Oberg (Ivan) and Annette Merz (Jim); grandchildren Sarah Hakala (Chris), Matthew Oberg, Philip Pfeifer (Tonia) and Joshua Oberg (Rebecca); great-grandchildren Lincoln Hakala, Sydney Hakala and Emma Oberg; siblings Lorene Arbuckle (Robert), Loren Pfeifer (Sharon), Lois Starkel, Donna Rainey and Keith Pfeifer (Judy); brothers-in-law Albert “Bud” King (Gerry), Wally King (Shirley) and Don Frick (Doreen) of and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and great friends.

Preceding Dale in death were his parents Philip John Pfeifer and Annetta (Kallenberger) Pfeifer; siblings Howard Pfeifer, Lenora Wraspir, Gladys Nelson, Iva Thrall, Ray “Bud” Pfeifer and Cecil Pfeifer; son-in-law Thomas Mullen and several sisters-in law and brothers-in-law. A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 6, 2017 at Zion-Emmanuel Church in Odessa, WA at 11:30 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Salem Lutheran Church, PO Box 223, Marlin, WA 98832, Zion-Emmanuel Church, 4279 State Route 21 N., Odessa, WA 99159, or Alzheimer’s Association, WA State Chapter, 100 W. Harrison Street, Ste: N200, Seattle, WA 99819. Donations to benefit Research and Family Programs. Please sign the on-line guestbook at www. Stratefuneralhome.com. Strate Funeral Home, DAVENPORT, WA, is caring for the Pfeifer family.