DALE SINGER obituary

CORVALLIS - Dale Jay Singer, 72, died Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005, at Hillside Manor in Corvallis of complications from kidney failure and diabetes.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at United Methodist Church in Bigfork with a reception to follow at the church.

Dale was born Feb. 13. 1933, in Havre to John Frank Singer and Hazel Mildred Rakestraw Singer. As a youth, he enjoyed fishing the Milk River, boating on the Missouri and a nearby lake, and playing football. Dale graduated from Havre High School in 1951. He worked for Clack's Hardware and Bing N Bob's Sports Shop.

Dale met Joan Shelby of Cut Bank and they were married Aug. 2, 1953.

In 1963, Dale, Joan and their family moved to Missoula, where he finished his degree in accounting at the University of Montana in 1965. Dale went to work for Lambros Agency as its accountant. He also sold insurance for Northwest Mutual Life. The family moved to Bigfork in 1974 and built a house on Patty Creek, 5 miles east of town on the Swan Highway. Dale continued his accounting business and opened Gateway Realty. He also found The Bigfork Eagle newspaper and operated it successfully for several years before selling it.

Dale was a member of the Swan River School board, a Mason, a past worthy patron for the Flathead Lake Chapter 128 Order of the Eastern Star. He enjoyed following and supporting his children and grandchildren in their many events and activities.

Dale retired from his real estate and accounting work in 1999, and he and Joan opened Gateway Nursery. They enjoyed starting seeds in February and delivering flowers and tomato plants to their customers.

In 2004, due to Dale's health, they sold their Swan home and moved to Corvallis.

Dale enjoyed making homemade ice cream, Fourth of July celebrations, fishing, hunting, reading novels, joking and teasing, eating rare prime rib, taking his wife for boat rides, following the Griz, playing with his grandchildren, pinochle and his home on the Swan Highway.

Survivors include his wife, Joan of Corvallis; daughters, Melodee (Doug) Burreson of Missoula and Heidi (Terry) Stiff of Stafford, Va .; son, John (Debi) Singer of Billings; 14 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; sister, Romerie Singer of Arizona; aunt, Beryl (Sam) Allick of Kalispell; mother-in-law, Beulah Shelby of Havre; brother-in-law, Jim (Sandy) Shelby of Washington; sister-in-law, Marlene (Floyd) Hooley of Missouri; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Memorials may be made to the Dialysis Center Inc., Patient Fund, 135 Commons Way, Kalispell or the St. Patrick's Dialysis Center, 615 W. Cedar, Missoula.

Arrangements are under the direction of Garden City Funeral Home.