Dale A DuPage

Born August 29, 1950 in Pekin to John Henry and Donna Jean (Hakes) DuPage, he married Denise Marie Atkinson on May 30, 1982 in Pekin.  She survives.

Also surviving are his parents of Pekin; three sons, Andrew (Kimberly) DuPage of Tremont, Joseph (Jaimee) DuPage of East Moline, and James DuPage of Quincy; one daughter, Amy DuPage of Tremont; eight grandchildren; one brother, John DuPage of Pekin; three sisters, Mary Ann Paulson of Morton, Karen (Richard) Crum of Pekin, and Luanne (Patrick) Chasco of South Pekin; and his mother-in-law, Marie Atkinson of Winter Haven, Florida.

He was preceded in death by his father-in-law, Willis Atkinson; and grandparents, August & Angelina DuPage and Howard & Vaneita Hakes.

He was a 1968 graduate of Pekin Community High School.

Dale worked at Caterpillar, Inc. for 30 ½ years, retiring June 1, 1999 as an assembly technician at the Mossville plant.  He later worked for G & D Integrated in Morton in logistics for over 2 ½ years.

He was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Pekin and the United Auto Workers Local 974 Retirees in East Peoria.  He was a former member of the Pekin Moose Family Center.

A big believer and supporter of youth sports, Dale had coached for over 20 years in Tremont, Morton, and Pekin.  He coached JFL for 1 year in Morton and 8 years in Pekin.  He also coached for the Pekin Union Mission and Pekin Boy’s and Girl’s Club.   He was past president of the Pekin Quarterback Club and was the 2005 recipient of the Michael Smith Service Award.  He also had been a member of the Pekin Baseball Diamond Booster Club.

Dale was a fan of the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bears, and the University of Illinois football and basketball.

His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday, July 29, 2011 at Calvary Baptist Church in Pekin.  Pastor Michael McLeod will officiate.  Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin.  Cremation will be accorded following the funeral.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Pekin JFL c/o Gary Rose, 1728 Heisel Avenue, Pekin, IL 61554 or BCAN (Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network), 4813 St. Elmo Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814.

To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com