Dale Dunham
Dale Clarence Dunham
26 Nov 1936 - 01 Nov 2018
Clubs & Associations
Obituary
Dale Clarence Dunham, 81, passed away on November 1, 2018 as a result of injuries after being struck by a car near his home in Richmond, California. He was born in Spring Prairie Township, Minnesota on November 26, 1936, just 30 minutes after his twin brother Donald (the doctor was already ready to leave when the family yelled that there was another baby coming out). Dale and his twin were the youngest of six children.
Dale grew up in and around Hawley and Moorhead, Minnesota. He graduated from Moorhead High School in 1954 and then received a degree in electrical engineering from North Dakota State University in 1958. Soon after graduation, he and his twin brother both moved to Oxnard to work for the Department of the Navy at the Naval Air Warfare Center, formerly the Pacific Missile Test Center at the Naval Air Station, Point Mugu. Dale worked there for 35 years until his retirement in 1994, helping to design radar systems, including the F-14 fighter jet's radar laboratory test facility.
In 1965, Dale Married his wife Sally (Sara Aikins) in Ventura. They lived for 46 years in North Oxnard on Elder Street. During those years, Dale was a Boy Scout leader, and a Deacon at the First Presbyterian Church of Oxnard. He was also involved in AYSO soccer in North Oxnard for nearly 30 years, first as a coach and then as a referee (in fact, people still come up to Dale's twin brother Don, asking if he was their daughter or son's soccer coach so many years ago). Dale was also a long-time volunteer for Ventura County Food Share, the CROP Walk, and the Oxnard Community Food Pantry.
In 2011, he and Sally moved to Richmond California to be near his two daughters and their families. In Richmond, he was a member of Hope Lutheran Church and regularly volunteered for the Manna Food Pantry in Pinole and the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program.
He was a very friendly person who loved fixing things around the house and working in his garden, and was always willing to help his neighbors. He led a very active life, regularly hiking (and backpacking in the Sierras when he was younger) and square dancing. He especially loved his grandkids and his dogs, and he and Sally tried to attend all of his grandkids' performances, baseball games, and cheerleading activities.
He was predeceased by his older sister Bernice and brother Jerry and niece Linda. He is survived by his wife of 53 years (Sally), his twin brother Donald (Sherry) of Oxnard, his older brother, Emil (Grace) of Detroit Lakes, MN, his older sister Doris of Detroit Lakes, MN, his children Larry (Mary) of New Hope, MN, Kate (Jill) of Berkeley, CA, and Beth (Paul) of El Cerrito, CA, by three grandchildren: Alex, Mykia, and Aidan, and many nieces and nephews. He will be greatly missed by his family.
A memorial service will be held at Hope Lutheran Church, 2830 May Rd., El Sobrante, CA on Saturday November 17 at 1 pm. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to National Glaucoma Research.[1]
Remembrances
Dale and his wife Sally square danced at the A2 level when they joined Diablo Dancers. They won our hearts and fit our club from the get go. Sally continues to dance with our club and is on our board of directors.
— Ric Duran [2]
Memorial Panel
Photos
North Dakota State University (Fargo, ND) yearbook portrait, 1958
Obituary photo
