Rev Dale W. Church

Rev. Dale W. Church, 88, of Sioux City, went to be with his Heavenly Father, Tuesday, February 13, 2007 at Sunrise Retirement Community. A memorial service will be Friday, February 16, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. at St. James United Methodist Church with Reverends Matt Conover and William Cotten officiating. Visitation with the family from 9:30 until the time of the service. Services will conclude at the church.

Dale was born July 16, 1918, in Fairbury, Neb., the son of Robert W. and Gladys (Neitzel) Church. He attended Fairbury Elementary and High School. After graduating from high school, he served his country in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He later graduated from St. Paul Bible Seminary in St. Paul, Minn.

On Nov. 30, 1941, he was united in marriage to Alice A. Steppat in Stanton, Neb. They had just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this past year.

He was ordained in the former Evangelical United Brethren Church (E.U.B.) in Story City, Iowa, on May 9, 1963. He served the former E.U.B. churches in Radcliffe, Seymour and Moville, Iowa. After the union of the Methodist and E.U.B. denominations, he served the charges of Hinton-Melbourne, Milton-Cantril-Mount Sterling and Hornick-Smithland-Rodney yoked parish. He retired from the Hornick parish in June 1983. He and his wife then resided in Sioux City.

He was a member of St. James United Methodist Church and various church organizations. He also belonged to the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He enjoyed reading his Bible and other literature, crossword puzzles and playing cards and dominoes with his dear friends, Gerald and Maxine Waldman.

Survivors include his wife, Alice; a son and his wife, Alan D. and Kay Church of Springfield, Mo.; a daughter and her husband, Sharon A. and Bob Harrington of McCook Lake, S.D.; eight grandchildren, Tonya (Frank) Ringl, Heather (Mike) Sartin, Nathan (Lisa) Church, Danyelle Church, David Walegir, Jarod Walegir, Jordan Harrington and Bobbi Harrington; and 10 great-grandchildren, Elena and Sophia Ringl, Shane and Rush Sartin, Noah and Abby Church, Ashlie Walegir, Gavin Harrington, Justus and Brock Pearson.

He was preceded in death by his parents.