Dale Carl Rowden

Dale Carl Rowden, 79, of Morro Bay, CA passed away peacefully on January 10th, 2026, from complications of Parkinson's Disease. Dale was born on August 28, 1946, in Richmond, CA to Devona Lee and Jack Byrd Rowden. Shortly after his birth he moved to Turlock, where he lived close to his grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousin Dawn. When he was six years old his father died from polio. When his mother married Alvin Wickstrom, a Hilmar dairyman, he moved with his mother and sister Devona to the Wickstrom family farm, where his sister Carrie was born when he was 14. Dale spent his school years in Hilmar, graduating from Hilmar High School in 1964.

Growing up in Hilmar, Dale was very involved in school and community activities: Boy Scouts, Indian Guides with his Uncle Leland Bullard, FFA, Track and Field, Football, and had a big group of friends. Those who knew him growing up have many stories of his troublemaking nature.

Dale attended Fresno State and graduated with a BS in Zoology in 1969 and soon moved to Visalia, CA where he worked for the Tulare County Health Department. In 1982 Dale returned to Fresno State to pursue a graduate degree in social work and became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He served as the director of Visalia Youth Services for 15 years in addition to his private psychotherapy practice. After his retirement in 2003, he continued his youth mental health work volunteering with CASA of Tulare County and ProYouth Services.

Dale loved the outdoors. He was an avid hiker, backpacker, downhill skier, and scuba diver. He was on the ski patrol at China Peak for 45 years and would ski every chance he got. He and his kids spent many weekends together skiing. Dale was always reading a book and he loved learning and exploring new ideas – he was curious about people and their stories and was an amazing listener and he loved helping people.

Dale leaves behind his wife, Cindy Myers, sister Carrie Sturdivan, children Amy Rowden, John Rowden, Alison Lopez, Greg Crist, Brian Crist, and Eric Shebairo, 13 grandchildren, and one great-grandson. He was preceded in death by his parents John “Jack” Rowden, Devona “Bonnie” Wickstrom, and Alvin Wickstrom, and his sister Devona Degnan. Dale enjoyed 30 years as a proud Papa, attending every birth and graduation no matter how far. Dale and Cindy prioritized providing their grandchildren with experiences including trips to Washington DC and New York, learning to ski at China Peak, and movie nights. When they both retired and moved to Morro Bay, he enjoyed regular family visits. He loved taking the grandkids to the Rock, the local museums, hiking trails, and the driving range.

Throughout his life, Dale enjoyed cultivating friendships, remaining close with his college fraternity brothers and meeting with book and lunch groups in Visalia and Morro Bay. He put his college bartending skills to use throughout his life, making his kids and grandkids Shirley Temples and any visiting adults signature drinks he created. He was not easy to laughter, but had a great sense of humor if you were close enough to read the signs. Anyone who knew him also knows you never went hungry with Dale around, the grandkids knew any trip with Papa guaranteed a snack or hamburger stop. Dale will be greatly missed, but his commitment to creating memories and once in a lifetime experiences will ensure he’s not forgotten.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to CASA of Tulare County at https://www.casatulareco.org/

A Celebration of Life will be planned at a later date.