ST. JOSEPH — Dale Masley was a creative man who worked with his hands. He designed local buildings, and constructed furniture for his family and loved ones. He built the home his family lived in, and he often helped his children make improvements in their homes. He enjoyed using his talent and skills to help others.
He drew pictures of his family, and his youngest grandson cherishes memories of drawing with his grandfather, learning the things he knew. His creativity and ability to build and construct live inside his son today, who shares his ability to draw and design.
Dale was intelligent and funny. He watched “Jeopardy” and played Scrabble. He was ruthless and accused people of cheating. He was competitive, and would play multiple games to be the winner. This ambition and perfectionism translated to other aspects of his life. He worked hard to earn degrees at Illinois State University and the University of Illinois. His grandson often quotes his grandfather: “There is a right way to do things, and there is a wrong way to do things.” This often implied that his way was right, and he was going to show you where you were wrong. He shares this tenacity and ambition with his younger daughter.
Dale was a sentimental man. He took pictures of his family, wanting to capture every moment of their lives. He favored handwritten cards and letters to loved ones. He sometimes had a penchant for overthinking things. He loved to be outside and walk in nature. He wanted to collect memories like stamps, and if he could have found a way to preserve them all, he would have. This affection for nostalgia is something that has been bestowed upon his oldest daughter.
For 46 years, Dale lived with, and loved, the mother of all these children. They fought and forgave, and laughed and lamented together in a home he built on a quiet road in a town they never meant to live in for such a long time.
He was stubborn in his illness, and battled with great tenacity and grace. His wife defended him and took tender care of his needs, great and small. She was selfless in her support of him, and humored him even when he was relentlessly inflexible. Their children and grandchildren will continue to know him through her, and that gift is precious.
In his last days, Dale spent time with his family and friends. He sat with his brother and two sisters,poring over photo albums and remembering his boyhood days in Streator. His daughter made him traditional Slovak pastries at his request, and he ate that to the exclusion of all else. He saw his grandson ride a bike for the first time. He played a last Scrabble game against his daughter, and chess against his grandson. He talked politics, and counseled his grandson on marriage. He remembered the mountains with his wife, and helped his daughter remember the first house they ever lived in. He was reassured, and he reassured.
Life is a gift. Dale lived his well, and gave it back on Sunday (July 28, 2019). He was surrounded by his wife and his children. He knew he was loved, and he knew he would be missed greatly.
He wished to have his memorial service held at Homer Lake Forest Preserve, 2573 S. Homer Lake Road, Homer, IL 61849 at the Salt Fork Center on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. All are welcome. The dress is casual. Dale was a casual guy, and it’s in the woods.
In lieu of gifts or flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Good House (www.thegoodhouse. org), an organization that offers free housing to families in need of cancer treatment at the hospitals in Indianapolis, where Dale received his treatment.
Freese Funeral Home, 302 E. Grand Ave., St. Joseph, is in charge of arrangements.
CU News-Gazette 7/30/2019
