DALE M. ANDERSON May 5, 1936 - June 1, 2016 Dale Anderson, of North Pole, Alaska, and formerly of Clarkfield, Minnesota, died Wednesday, June 1, 2016, at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital at the age of 80. Funeral services will be held on Sunday, June 12, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. at Augustana Lutheran Church in Clarkfield. Rev. David Peterson will officiate and burial with military honors will be at Fridhem Cemetery, rural Clarkfield. Visitation will be held for one hour before the service at the church. Dale Melvin Anderson was born on May 5, 1936 in Blackduck, Minnesota, to Melvin Reinhold and Gladys Cecelia (Vick) Anderson. They lived and farmed in Clarkfield, Minnesota. Dale was adopted at the tender age of 18 months old along with his two sisters, Darlene, 8 months and Ardella, age 3. Dale was baptized and confirmed at Augustana Lutheran Church. Dale was very active in 4-H during his youth. He helped his dad do the farm chores, feeding the livestock, and plowing the fields with two large draft horses until they go their first steel-wheeled tractor. Dale raised a calf every year for his local 4-H Club and showed it at the fair to be sold for meat. He attended Boyd Public High School and lettered in football for the season of 1952-1953 as a left tackle. Dale graduated high school but never picked up his diploma and it was presented to his mother at graduation. After high school, Dale lied about his age to go into the Service in November of 1953. Dale was originally with the 8th Calvary and he was stationed in Japan. After Japan, he came back to the United States, then went to Germany and France. After returning to the United States for a second time, he was stationed in Milwaukee, WI at the Nike defense site as a First Cook and Mess Sergeant. While he was there, he met the love of his life, Carol Gifford. Carol was working as a car hop waitress, which was also where they met and started dating. It was leap year of 1959 and so the story goes that Carol asked Dale to marry her. She said the first time they met, she knew he was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. They were married on February 13, 1960. They were married 9 months short of 50 years when his beautiful wife passed away on May 4, 2009 due to a long illness. He was heart broken. On August 23, 1960, Carol gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and they named him Dale Robert Anderson. Carol and baby Dale had to move back in with her parents while Dale was called to serve his country again and sent back to Korea where he was a Mess Sergeant. He returned to his family in 1962 to the Chicago Nike Missile Base. Dale's most favorite place in the world for hunting and fishing was Fort Polk, Louisiana where he was stationed for a number of years. He hunted deer, quail, and doves along with fishing for bass and catfish until the cows came home (or when the beers were all gone). He was a Chief Warrant Officer for all of his years he was stationed in Louisiana. Dale did 2 tours in Vietnam. During his year there, he spent six months operating the "Five Ocean's Officer's Club" in Siagon and after that he joined the first division called "the big red one" at Phouc Vien which is eighty miles north of Siagon. He was appointed as a resupply leader of chopper missions carrying ammunition and wounded people from both rear and front areas. While stationed in Vietnam, Dale - being the kind hearted person he was - performed a very valuable service to the veterans who were unable to read. He read their "letters from home" aloud if they had an injury that prevented them from doing so or if they had simply never learned how to read. After returning from the war, Dale was assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for a spell and finally ended up being stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. After moving there, his "two baby tour" ended up being a one baby tour and after 12 years of trying to have another baby, Darla Marie Anderson was born on August 14, 1972. The tale is told that Carol shot a rabbit and the rabbit died then they found out they were pregnant...Carol never shot another rabbit after that. Dale retired as a CWO III from the Army in 1974 and made North Pole, AK his home. He took advantage of all the hunting and fishing opportunities. Dale went to work for Trans-Alaska pipeline as Head Chef During his time there he met former President, Gerald Ford and Alaska Senator Ted Stevens at Pump Station 8. This was Dales second retirement! He then went to work for Tanana Valley Community College at Fairbanks Correctional Center teaching hundreds of inmates a skill they could use long after they served their time. He taught them how to cook. Years later, Dale ran into some of his former "students" and they thanked him for teaching a trade that helped them get "back into society" and that made Dale very pleased. When the State of Alaska stopped funding for teaching prisoners, Dale retired for the third and last time in 1996. Dale worked very hard all of his life to provide for his family. He loved his children, but he loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren even more. You could see it in his eyes while he would watch them play and hear it in his voice when they would run up to him to "show off" a drawing to which he would always reply, "Outstanding!" Dale is survived by his children: Dale (Cynthia) Anderson and Darla (Bob) Gregg; his grandchildren: David Anderson, Mary Kay Anderson, Coleen (Roger) McMorrow, Robert Anderson, Aurora Gregg, Bobbie Gregg; great-grandchildren: Amara Anderson, Athena Frisone, and one on the way in January 2017; and his sisters: Darlene Anderson Cusick and Ardella Anderson Erickson. Preceding Dale in death are his parents, Melvin and Gladys; his beautiful wife, Carol; a grandson, Dale Melvin Anderson; and a brother, Jerry Anderson. Arrangements by Lynner Funeral Home Since 1891 Clarkfield Minnesota