Dale Delker

Dale Roger Delker arrived in this world, with his twin brother, Dean, on October 3, 1932.  They joined the clan of 2 brothers and 3 sisters.  Dad would tell stories of Dean and him fooling the teachers and switching places in classes, because they looked so much alike.  Dad left his earthly home on October 31, 2021, surrounded by his family.  

Dad served in the Army from 1955-1957.  He wore many hats in his lifetime.  He moved houses back in the day, he hauled corn between Gettysburg and Faith, worked on farms, and, ultimately was a carpenter.  Dad was always building or remodeling something, and there was nothing he couldn't fix.  The ultimate show of that was when we decided to go into the horse business, and we built stables with stalls, and an outdoor arena, with Dad heading it all up and us kids and grandkids following his lead. He wasn't afraid of heights, hard work, or long days.  He was known to be a bit stubborn, although he never admitted it.  In fact, he was so stubborn, he wouldn't go to the doctor when he was having chest pains, and we found out later, he had a heart attack sitting at the dining room table.  He was also known to argue with his daughter about buying the "best" water tank, to the point of the poor teenage employee at Runnings backing away slowly and hiding in the next aisle.  Of course, he was right!  

Dale married Arlene Ann Miles on July 17, 1967 in Meadow SD.  To this union 4 children were born.  Steven and Albert left this world after a short time, and Jolene and Rocky were blessed beyond measure to call him dad, here on earth.  

Dale and Arlene became foster parents when they knew Jolene needed a playmate in their tiny little town of Meadow SD.  Thus, began their adventures of having over 350 children in their care.  It was during this time, Dale and Arlene realized there were many disabled children out there that had no families and were up for adoption.  Thus, began the process of adopting 6 boys and 2 girls.  Kids seemed to be a part of Dale and Arlene's life, as they were blessed with 4 granddaughters and a grandson.  And, oh the memories they have!  Melissa remembers Grandpa teaching her to drive Old Red, while sitting on his lap.  Victoria still chuckles when she remembers them building a rabbit hutch, and him crawling inside of it to finish it, even though she said she would. Rachael smiles when Grandpa and her would walk through almost every single aisle at Menards looking for deals, and then, he would get her a Powerade when they checked out.  She would get him back by sneaking in and putting an ice cube down his neck while he was sleeping.  I do believe he got her back a time or two!  Abby's favorite memory is him taking her to McDonalds for a Happy Meal when he would pick her up from school when she was little.  Ashton so enjoyed Grandpa playing Legos with him, and a favorite memory is Grandpa taking a helicopter ride this summer with them.  

And lest we not forget how much dad loved to gamble.  Deadwood was his favorite place, although they did make it to Vegas and Wendover.  He was known to run out of money and then find mom and ask for money from her winnings!  

In the last weeks, when Mom was apprehensive to take him to Deadwood, he asked if they could go for a drive. It was on this drive he asked Mom, "Why aren't we going to Deadwood?"  So, she headed that way, and he was happy.  

During this whole process we have learned the little moments are the big ones, and we were blessed with a lot of big ones.  

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Arlene; daughters, Lola (Dwight) McConnell, Jolene (Beau) Lambert, Elizabeth Delker, and Linda Delker; son Rocky (Kelly) Delker; grandchildren, Amber (Brad) Cooper, Ty (Wendy) McConnell, Melissa Delker, Victoria Hopperdietzel, Rachael Hopperdietzel, Abby Delker, and Ashton Delker; great-grandchildren, Ali, Skylar, Tell, Connor, Carter, and Anastasia 

Funeral service were held Thursday, November 4, 2021 at Kirk Funeral Home.  Interment  followed at Black Hills National Cemetery.

The Pioneer Review

221 E. Oak Street
Philip, SD 57567
Telephone: (605) 859-2516
E Mail: ads@pioneer-review.com

Sign Up For Breaking News

Stay informed on our latest news!

Manage my subscriptions

Subscribe to Newsletter feed
Comment Here