Dale Dewaine Gentzler Obituary (1927

Dale Gentzler, of Blair, passed away on December 14, 2018 at the age of 91. A memorial service will be held at First Lutheran Church in Blair at 10:30 AM on Thursday, December 20. Burial will be held at a later date in the family plot in western Knox County, Nebraska. Dale Dewaine Gentzler was born on March 11, 1927 at Emerson, Nebraska. He was the second of six children born to Gurney and Mable (Sorensen) Gentzler. Their youngest child, Clinton, died in infancy. Dale was baptized in March of 1930 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Homer, Nebraska. The family lived in Homer until 1939, when they moved to Creighton, NE. Dale graduated from Creighton High School in 1944, after which he enlisted in the United States Navy, near the end of World War II. He spent a year and a half at several naval bases on the west coast, where he helped with the decommissioning of war-time ships. After his Navy tenure, he spent a year at Morningside College in Sioux City, IA, before returning home and joining the family’s restaurant business temporarily. He was later employed by the Chicago and Northwestern Railway as a depot agent and telegrapher. On August 20, 1950 he was married to Eldora Hamilton of Creighton. They had two daughters, Christine Ann and Patricia Lee. They lived several places throughout eastern Nebraska, including Blair, in his railroad work, and finally at Clarkson, Nebraska. After a few years as depot agent in Clarkson, they purchased a drugstore and ran it as a sundry store. Eldora and Dale were instrumental in starting the annual Clarkson Czech Festival, which is still being celebrated today. In late l969 they moved to Blair, where Dale worked for the Blair newspapers until he retired in 1990. Upon retirement he worked part-time at a local printing shop, then, for the Blair Community Schools, where he stayed until he fully retired in 2006. He especially enjoyed singing with the Fremont Pathfinder Barbershop Chorus for several years during the 1990’s. The chorus traveled to Russia in the year 2000. Dale and Eldora also celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary that same year. Dale is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Chris and John Wiegers of Pickrell, NE, and Pat and Lyn Graves of Omaha; sister Leola Stingley of Norfolk; brother Stan Gentzler of Cozad; brother and sister-in-law Roger and Alice Gentzler of Norfolk; sister-in-law Beverly Gentzler of Creighton. Six grandchildren also survive; Andrea (Ivan) Haas of Bothell, WA; Carly (Kyle) Parrish of Auburn, NE; JJ (Laura) Graves of Lincoln, NE; Logan (Soni) Graves, Katie Graves, and Delaney (Tim) Marine, all of Omaha; six great grandchildren and a host of cousins, nieces and nephews. Besides his baby brother, Dale was preceded in death by his wife, Eldora; his parents; a brother, Gordie; sisters-in-law, Elvira Hamilton, Bonna Barner, Audrey Gentzler, Marie Hamilton and brothers-in-law, Lyle Stingley, Elven Hamilton, Darrel Barner, and David Hamilton.