Danny Dale Connell

Born in Union County, NC on June 2, 1937, to Charlie Jackson Connell and Amanda Lou Conder Connell.

He graduated Hoke High School, attended Mars Hill College, completed study at DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago, IL and was in service to the United States as an officer of the Army National Guard.

Dale started his work life as a teenager establishing and operating The ChatterBox drive-in with siblings, Avery and June, continuing his career with stops at Scotland Oil Co. and Integon Insurance before joining Avery at Avery Connell Agency, Inc and establishing Just Auto Inc.

Dale was an avid fisherman with many evenings spent on the government lakes, local ponds and fall weekends surf fishing the shores of Huntington Beach, SC, and the NC Outer Banks with Mazelle.  He loved camping and traveling the East Coast with Mazelle and the girls in the family pop up camper.  As a founding member of the Franklin Mint, Dale furthered his love of collectables which began as a teenager collecting coins.  Christmas was his favorite holiday. Dale and Mazelle began collecting Dept 56 pieces in the early years of this company.  As his Christmas house collection grew, he used his artistic talents and creative mind to erect stunning displays of snowy Christmas village scenes.  In his retirement years, Dale felt his true calling was being the family historian.  He spent countless hours researching, organizing, categorizing, and documenting generations of family members with Ancestry and Family Tree amassing more than 22,000 names, dates and documents of the Connell/Conder and Goodwin/Peele families.

Dale valued family most.  He was well loved by his wife, siblings, daughters, sons in-law, grandchildren, extended family, those he called a friend, and respected by neighbors and members of his community whether it was in Laurel Hill, Raeford or Cornelius NC.

Preceded in death by his parents, wife, Mazelle Goodwin Connell, brother Charles Avery Connell and sister, Beverly June Spera.  Survived by daughters, Sharon Lynn Mullen (Troy) of Fuquay Varina, NC, Dana Dale Connell of Cornelius, NC and Paula Connell Venkus (Chris) of Cornelius, NC. Brother, William Tommy Connell of Raeford, NC. Grandchildren, Zachary Christopher Venkus, Matthew Henry Venkus both of Cornelius, NC and Ashley Elizabeth Mullen of Fuquay Varina, NC.

Visitation will be held 6:00 until 8:00 pm Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at Crumpler Funeral Home, 131 Harris Avenue, Raeford, NC

A graveside service will be held 2:00 pm Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at the Raeford Cemetery with Pastor Sam Robinson officiating.