Dale Eugene Young passed away in his sleep at the age of 94 on November 29, 2021.

Dale was born in East Palestine, Ohio on Valentine's Day, 1927 to Raymond and Grace (Cannell) Young. His parents were so proud of him they entered him in the most beautiful baby of the year contest which he won. Dale grew up in the midst of the great depression and worked for his Dad in the family construction business. During this time he learned the trade that served him the rest of his life.

He was a good student, leader, talented athlete and captain of the football and basketball teams. He stayed very busy during high school driving a school bus, working in an auto body shop and starting a commercial ice cream business in his spare time. World War II was raging and, like many men and boys, he wanted to join the fight. He enlisted in the Navy under a program that allowed early graduation for enlistees and was very proud of his service. After the war his life changed rapidly when he met a cute girl named Nancy at a local Barn Dance. After a whirlwind romance they were married, forging a bond lasting 71 years until her death in 2018. Their marriage was the beginning of a happy and energetic life where he was the patriarch of a family of five children, 16 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. At age 19 Dale started a construction business and built his first house quickly establishing a reputation for high quality design and construction. He ran the business his entire life and beyond the age when most retire, building many homes and commercial buildings along the way. He built a Dairy Queen of his own design which later became the design for Dairy Queens across the country. He was the family construction consultant. His family always had a project where they needed help and he gave it. Dale and Nancy were proud of the fact that all five of their children earned college degrees. Dad was a strong believer in education and served on the local school board for nine years. He believed in improving high school education for college bound students, but he was also a strong advocate for improved technical courses and a pathway to technical schools for those students who did not wish to pursue a college education. Dale was a member of American Legion, Kiwanis and later longtime member of Rotary, eventually serving as president. He lived a life full of wonderful family camping trips to most of the national parks and many great fishing trips to Canada and Alaska. Later in life he earned his private pilot's license and bought a Cessna which he spent many happy hours flying. As his children matured and spread across the country, Dale and Nancy often followed. They lived for a time in Alaska, California, and finally South Dakota to be near family. Dale was a man of deep thoughts and few words and when he spoke his children listened. He used the phrase "Do It" decades before Nike used their "Just do It" slogan. This always got things moving immediately. Dale and Nancy rarely missed any occasion to cheer on members of their family and attended hundreds of athletic, academic and musical events for their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. To say he lived a full life is an understatement. He will be greatly missed. He is survived by his five children; Dale II (Donna) Young, Juneau AK, Greg Young of Spearfish SD, Mark (Traci) Young of Spearfish SD, Anne Bennett of Portland Oregon and Todd (Hue) Young of Spearfish, 16 grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren and his brother, Glenn (Ruth) Young of San Diego CA as well as many extended family members.