Maurice Dale Poole

Maurice Dale Poole, 87, passed away on April 14, 2026, after a valiant battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Dale was born October 8, 1938, in Allen, Oklahoma, to James Clarence and Viva Greene Poole. He grew up in Stonewall, Oklahoma, with his brother Jim and his sister Patricia, on the family farm. He found early success in basketball as a leader of the Stonewall Longhorns, who won the Oklahoma Class B state championship in 1955 and reached the finals in 1956.

Basketball opened the door to a wider world. Dale was recruited by colleges and universities across the country. He chose Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater and played for Mr. Iba. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Oklahoma State in 1961. Thereafter, he embarked on a long career in the Portland cement industry, beginning at Ideal Cement Company in Pasadena, Texas. A stint in the United States Army interrupted his career; Dale was drafted in 1961. Following basic training in Fort Collins, Colorado, in very cold weather, Dale served at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Laboratories. He was honorably discharged as a Private First Class E3 in 1964 and returned to Pasadena; he was discharged from the Army Reserve in 1967. He declared that, after standing a post in Colorado in the winter, he would never again live north of Interstate 10.

While in Pasadena, Dale’s roommate and future brother-in-law, Ben Moore, introduced him to Dagmar Lewis, then of Houston. Dale and Dagmar were married in Galveston on July 10, 1965. They raised two children in Pasadena and lived there until 1986, when, following Dale’s move to California Portland Cement Company, the family drove west on Interstate 10 to Redlands, California. Dale and Dagmar lived happily there for 35 years. Following Dagmar’s death in 2021, in an exercise of his characteristic calm adaptability, Dale moved northeast to Silver Spring, Maryland, although not before voicing a mild objection concerning the climate.

Dale demonstrated an exceptional and unrelenting work ethic over a 46-year career with Ideal Basic Industries, General Portland, Inc., and ultimately, Cal Portland. He held several different positions in cement plants in Texas and California (and briefly, in Ada, Oklahoma near his hometown) that ultimately centered around production and quality control, and supervision of plant operations. He was an expert in the manufacture of Type II Portland cement. In later years, he would say that whatever position he held, eventually he found his way back to running the chemistry lab.

Dale was a creative thinker and an advocate for industrial recycling. During his time at Cal Portland, he championed a project to burn waste tires in the cement kiln to reduce reliance on fossil fuels—while not a new idea, the practice was expanded industrywide throughout the 1990s. In 2006, with his colleague David Long, he obtained a patent, “Recycled Waste as Air Entrainment Admixtures.” Simply stated, Dale and David figured out a way to reduce materials costs by using waste shampoo as a surfactant to introduce microscopic, stable air voids into concrete and enhance its freeze-thaw durability, as well as improve its workability.

Dale possessed an understated sense of humor and an impossibly even temper—to his last day he maintained a positive outlook and cheerful demeanor. A lifelong sports fan, Dale closely followed college basketball and NASCAR. He enjoyed a glass of wine and passed on to his children the value of black coffee, a daily banana, and—particularly in times of inner turmoil—a tall glass of water followed by a long nap.

In addition to his wife, Dale was predeceased by his parents, his siblings, his brother-in-law Douglas Scaggs, and three nephews—Scott Moore, Kevin Weast, and Jerry Poole. He is survived by his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Ben and Sybille Moore of Houston, Texas; his sister-in-law Claudia Scaggs of Katy, Texas; his brother-in-law Forest Weast of O’Fallon, Illinois; his sister-in-law Neva Poole of Tulsa, Oklahoma; his son and daughter-in-law Eric and Julie Poole of Dallas, Texas; his daughter and son-in-law Brooke and Michael Clark of Silver Spring; his grandchildren, Scott Poole of Carrboro, North Carolina and Claire Poole of Carrollton, Texas; and several nieces and nephews.

The family extends deep gratitude to Kim Dalin and the staff of Sunrise of Silver Spring, who took extraordinary care of Dale in his final years.

A celebration of Dale’s life will be held on Saturday, June 20, 2026. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the charity of your choice.