He is survived by his loving wife of 38 years, Sherrie (Helaine).
Dad, Grandpa and Great Grandpa to:
Richard and Nancy Habermann / Sara,
Susan Block / Katie, Jake and Aiden Ligman / Ashley, Dan, Lily and Ellanore Eggers / Abigail (special friend Wes) and TJ / Aleese (special friend Josh),
Thomas Habermann / Stephanie / Spencer,
Patricia and David Seese / Melissa, Troy and Natalie Barth / Renee’ Lenhard,
Linda and Joseph Bath / Lisa / Rebecca (special friend Colten) / Amy (special friend Dan).
Papa and Great Papa to:
Linda and Timothy McDonald / Bridgette (special friend Robby) / Joseph / Caitlin, Myles and Adalyn Grace Thomas / Andrew.
Survived by many other nieces, nephews, family and friends. He will be sorely missed by his canine buddy, Sir Harley of Oxford.
Dale was born and raised in West Allis, Wisconsin, and graduated from West Allis Central High School in 1951.
He was preceded in death by his parents Chester and Anna Mae, three brothers: Ronald, Robert, Bernard and two sisters: Judith and Donna.
Dale retired as a Wauwatosa Police officer in 1986 after 30 years of service. He served as President of Wauwatosa Professional Police Association and was a delegate to the State of Wisconsin Professional Police Association. He also enjoyed working at Wisconsin State Fair Park as undercover security during Fair Week.
He belonged to the Wauwatosa Masonic Lodge #267 F&AM for 35 years serving in different chair positions. He was President of his Fall of 1980 Scottish Rite class and later became a member of the Shrine Motor Corps.
After retiring from the Wauwatosa Police Department, he moved to Southern California where he worked for the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, established Security for the new Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, was Head of Security for the Hanalia Hotel Group, and finally retired in 2001 from the Lawrence Welk Resort where he was Head of Security and supervised the Transportation Department.
Dale served as an Elder and Deacon for the First Presbyterian Church in Oceanside, CA. He was an enthusiastic member of the Tuesday Morning Men’s Bible Study class and always engaged in lively conversation about the scriptures. He would come home and tell Sherrie that the class had made great progress that day – they actually had covered one verse. And of course he always enjoyed the coffee and snacks that were provided.
He loved taking long trips on his Harley motorcycle. He was one of the original members of the first HOG (Harley Owners Group) Chapter that was organized as well as a life-time member of HOG. Dale made the usual treks to Daytona and Sturgis (as any good Harley rider should) and especially reveled in participating in the 100th Anniversary Celebration in Milwaukee.
Bowling was another great past time of Dale’s but he could never quite make that 300 that he wanted – 297 was as close as he came.
Dale had a passion for old cars and owned a 1941 Chevrolet Business Man’s Coupe. He restored it to mint condition even down to the original wood grain design on the dashboard. His hard work was recognized as evidenced by the multiple trophies with which he drove away from car shows.
Coming soon to a bookstore near you - Dale authored a book entitled TARNISHED BADGES that incorporated some of his experiences as a police officer but in the setting of the early years of Prohibition. Work will continue on the manuscript to see that it gets published as Dale felt this was one of his greatest accomplishments.
He will always be remembered for his sense of humor (????) and “cracking himself up”. We will lovingly remember that little crooked smile that would light up his face when he thought that he had put one over on us.
Join us as we celebrate the life of this wonderful man on Saturday, August 8, 2015 at Wauwatosa Presbyterian Church, 2366 N. 80th Street, Wauwatosa, WI. Visitation begins at 3:00 p.m. with a memorial service to follow at 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Humane Society of America (humanesociety.org). Dale’s furry friends always held a special place in his heart.
We love you and will miss you very, very much.
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