Dale Rees Crockett

Born on March 22nd, 1927, in Gentry MO, Dale was the only son of Bessie and Charles Crockett. He was the beloved husband of Mae Karleen Crockett, who resides at Sunrise.

Dale and Karleen met at a dance in Washington, D.C. during World War II when Dale served as an MP in the Army. They fell in love and married on June 15th, 1947, in Karleen’s hometown of Fulton, MS.

Married for 66 years, Dale and Karleen raised four children. Gary Crockett and his wife, Marla (Lakin) Crockett live in Chevy Chase Village, MD. Bryan Crockett and his wife, Pamela (Greenblatt) Crockett, reside in Towson, MD. Nan (Crockett) Valentine and her husband, Dan Valentine, live in Clive, IA, and Karla (Crockett) Scholfield and her husband, Randy Scholfield, reside in Louisville, CO. Dale leaves behind Karleen, their four children, their spouses, and nine grandchildren. Dale’s grandchildren include Emily Crockett, of Washington, D.C., Jeffrey Crockett, of Brainerd, MN, Joseph Crockett, of San Francisco, CA, Rebecca Crockett and her husband, Dany Schwetz, of East Stroudsburg, PA, Rosemary Crockett, of Grinnell, IA, Dylan Rutter, of Clive, IA, Thomas Rutter, of Clive, IA, Connor Scholfield, of Boulder, CO, and Anna Scholfield, of Boulder, CO.

Dale led an active and service-oriented life. He served as Chairman of the Board for Clinton’s Jane Lamb Hospital, and he served on the Boards of Directors for the Salvation Army, Gateway United Way, and Gateway Chamber of Commerce. Dale also served as a past president of Clinton Rotary Club, where he maintained membership for 48 years. He was a commander of Clinton Power Squadron, and he assisted with annual fund campaigns for American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and Boy Scouts of America. Both Dale and Karleen were active members of Clinton’s First Baptist Church, where Dale served on various committees, occasionally led services, and taught a Sunday School class for adults for almost 40 years.

As a child, Dale walked to a one-room schoolhouse with neighbors in his hometown. He drove a 1928 Model A at age 10, and he was hired at age 15 to drive a school bus. This hard-won job allowed Dale to purchase the bus, to work his way through high school, and to save for a college education.

A member of ROTC, Dale earned his degree in Dairy Production from the University of Missouri. He went on to serve for 34 years as General Manager of Clinton’s Swift dairy and poultry plant before retiring. While at Swift, Dale was elected “Boss of the Year” by the Clinton Chapter of American Secretaries Association. It was always Dale’s goal to support and treat fairly the 300 employees who worked for Swift at the time.

Dale was handy with tools, and he could often be found fixing problems at home or for others. While one of Dale’s early report cards indicated he was “inclined to mischief,” people who knew Dale understood that his sense of humor was tempered with a strong sense of loyalty and commitment to family, his church, people in need, his country, and God.

The burial service will take place before the memorial service. Burial will be at 1:30 on Saturday, February 8th at Clinton Lawn Cemetery. The memorial service will follow at 2:30 at the First Baptist Church, 2020 N. 3rd St., in Clinton.

In lieu of flowers Dale’s children and Karleen ask that donations be sent to First Baptist Church, care of Pastor Ron Lott, 2020 N. 3rd Street, in Clinton, IA, 52732.